COVID-19

Project Proposal

DEVELOPMENT OF LIVING BIOSENSOR FOR CORONAVIRUS

(COVID-19) DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Abstract

Since the beginning of the year 2020, the world still faces the threat of the emergence of the
emerging corona virus as a pandemic that threatens human life on Earth. Despite strenuous
scientific efforts around the world, there are still obstacles in developing an effective system for
diagnosing and treating diseases caused by the virus, which leads to death.
It is known that classical nematic mesophase is formed by elongated molecules having
an anisotropic interaction leading to an ordered phase in respect to the molecule orientation. The
living nematic mesophase is formed by elongated migrating amoeboid cells. The anisotropic
cell-cell interaction leads to an ordered state in respect to the cell orientation.
In cell culture, mesophase is formed by elongated, migrating, and interacting amoeboid
cells. An apolar nematic mesophase is formed by different cell types like human melanocytes
(pigment cells of the skin), human fibroblasts (connective tissue cells), respiratory cells in the
lung, trachea and air sacs, as well as human osteoblasts (bone cells), human adipocytes (fat
cells), etc.
The diagnosis of the Corona Virus investigated using the orientational elastic energy and the
orientational defects (disclination) of nematoid arrangements of the healthy and infected cell
samples. In this case, the density- and order parameter dependence of the orientational elastic
constants and their absolute values play an important role. From the defect structure, the splay
elastic constant of the system will be determined using Fourier transformation model.
In this research project, a living biosensor for Corona Virus diagnosis will be
developed. The validation of the proposed sensor will be verified by studying the core of a
disclination of either a cell free space or occupied by non oriented cells (isotropic state), or by a cell
with a different symmetry, or by another cell type.