Supporting the fight against the epidemic with scientific research

A research team from PolyU’s Department of Applied Physics has successfully developed an ultrasensitive portable COVID-19 antibody detection sensor based on organic electrochemical transistor technology. Fast and easy-to-use, the sensor is designed for testing the antibody levels of people who have either received vaccination or have been infected with the virus. The whole detection process takes less than six minutes and the cost per test is only about HK$10.

The next plan of the research team is to apply for funding for clinical studies in collaboration with different medical and testing institutions. The research team expects that the novel device can be commercialised as soon as practicable and applied to antibody detection of other viruses, helping to fight diseases and making contributions to epidemiological studies and vaccine development.

With support from the Health and Medical Research Fund of the Food and Health Bureau, a research team from PolyU’s Faculty of Health and Social Sciences started a mixed-method study in 2020. The objective of the study was to explore the level of adult psychological trauma one year after the onset of the pandemic, so as to identify the impact of the pandemic on Hong Kong people’s mental health. Additionally, the study aimed to discover the demographics in relation to compliance with preventative measures and to discover the determinants of motivation for vaccination of the disadvantaged, especially the elderly.

The survey found that:

• More than one in ten (12.4%) of the respondents had exhibited post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, indicating that they might have PTSD
• Being unemployed or having no personal income, and with lower educational attainment were associated with a higher chance having of PTSD symptoms
• Married females in their middle age or older with higher educational attainment were consistently more compliant with various preventative measures
• Among all the preventative measures, maintaining good hand-hygiene and environmental hygiene were reported to be the most difficult to follow
• About 46% of the respondents expressed willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of whom were married males in their middle age or older who were family caregivers with lower educational attainment

Supported by the Health and Medical Research Fund administered by the Food and Health Bureau, PolyU’s Department of Applied Social Sciences has conducted a longitudinal study to investigate Hong Kong residents’ adherence to various COVID preventive measures and their intention to receive vaccines. The study, which randomly sampled 1,225 people aged 18-85 years old, comprised three stages of phone interviews during the 4th and 5th waves of the pandemic in Hong Kong.

Researchers revealed that there was a “rising then declining” trend in vaccine hesitancy amongst the respondents. The team suggested that the government should further review the incentives for vaccination and adopt a two-pronged approach (via “policy” and “education”), to enhance people’s awareness and confidence in vaccines.

With the support of the Health and Medical Research Fund, a PolyU interdisciplinary research team led by Professor Yip Shea-ping, Professor and Head of the Department of Health Technology and Informatics, has commenced research of a portable testing device for COVID-19 (the device). After one and a half years of extensive work, the team successfully achieved highly sensitive SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA detection based on the combination of reverse transcription–loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) and gold nanoparticles (as amplification result readout reagent). The clinical sample test results were in full agreement with the reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) standard.

While the device accommodates up to six testing samples, excluding one positive and one negative control sample, up to four samples can be tested at the same time. Its portable and rechargeable design enables the entire testing procedures to be performed outside the laboratory, immediately after on-site sample collection. The entire test can be completed in about 40 minutes, and the test results can be recognised with bare eyes.

Going forward, the team is planning to transfer the research outcomes to society by collaborating with industry players, so as to extend the use of such technology into the wider community, in particular in places where accurate results are needed within a short period of time. The team also hopes that with this invention in place, management of personal and environmental hygiene can be enhanced, and appropriate control measures can be implemented to reduce the risk of community infection.

At present, some items in public facilities such as doorknobs in public toilets and buttons in lifts can be unhygienic and become breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria, thus posing a threat to public health. An interdisciplinary research team led by Dr Kwan Yu Chris Lo, Associate Professor of PolyU's Institute of Textiles and Clothing, has successfully developed the world's first “anti-virus 3D printing material” that can kill the COVID-19 virus on surfaces as well as most other common viruses and bacteria. Laboratory tests confirmed the material can kill 70% of the COVID-19 virus and other viruses/bacteria on a surface within two minutes; eliminate over 90% of viruses within 10 minutes; and terminate almost all viruses and bacteria on a surface in 20 minutes.

Using 3D printing technology, the material can be produced in different forms and could be used extensively in public facilities to provide epidemic prevention support to the community. In the past year, with the support of the PolyU’s University Research Facility in 3D Printing, the research team has collaborated with the Home Affairs Department, the Hong Kong Wetland Park and an environmental organisation to produce material for recycling bin handles, toilet doorknob covers, lift buttons, braille boards and more. The team will also collaborate with the Sham Shui Po District Office to produce protective doorknob covers for over 100 unmanaged “Three-Nil” buildings in the district so as to help reduce the risk of virus transmission.

The multi-disciplinary studies range in focus from exploring a new holistic approach to preventing infection and enhancing recovery, to developing more effective strategies in strengthening community-level protection against the coronavirus, especially for vulnerable groups. The studies will engage and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders in the community. The new studies follow the previous round of HMRF backed COVID-19 research conducted by PolyU, several of which have yielded impactful outputs contributing to better informed public health measures and responses, while other ongoing studies are making good progress.

With COVID-19 vaccination being widely implemented in many countries, against the backdrop of needing to revive cross-border activity, there is a growing prospect of easing social distancing regulations and reopening borders in different countries and regions. Professor Chen Wu, Head and Professor of PolyU’s Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, has led his team in conducting a study that has employed a computational approach to investigate contact tracing integrated policy for different border-reopening scenarios in Hong Kong. The study found that contact tracing is as vital as social distancing measures and vaccination in controlling the spread of COVID-19 when borders reopen.

The research team has also developed a mobile app with a contact tracing feature, designed for use by inbound travellers, that would help fight the pandemic in this respect.

Director of PolyU’s Smart Cities Research Institute, Professor Wenzhong Shi, has led his team in the development of a visualisation platform for COVID-19 onset risk, showcasing the latest developments and short-term forecasting of the epidemic.

Focusing on predicting the risk of symptom onset, this model can predict the development trend of the epidemic in a more timely manner and support the public health agencies in the formulation of more precise prevention and control strategies.

The prediction on Hong Kong’s possible morbidity risk in the following three days can reach an accuracy of more than 85%.