Dr. Mitra Mirhassani secured a U.S. patent for an electronic chip that could precisely detect viruses . (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)
By Sara Elliott
Research out of a University of Windsor engineering lab has generated an electronic chip that could precisely detect viruses such as COVID-19 — at a cost of just pennies to produce.
The electronic device has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Dr. Mitra Mirhassani says the idea emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired by her former PhD student, Dr. Hamidreza Esmaeili Taheri.
“He was working on hardware security when COVID happened,” says Mirhassani.
“There was a shortage of chemical COVID tests, and my student came to me and said, ‘What if we developed a COVID sensor that can actually be adjusted?’”
Unlike traditional chemical-based tests, the electronic biosensor’s sensitivity levels can be recalibrated to match identifiers across different applications.
“We wanted something that was small, low-cost, easy to manufacture, with a long battery life and a long shelf life,” says Mirhassani.
“It's going to be less than a penny if we can manage to manufacture it at large volumes.”
Funded by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grant, the research team designed a durable and adaptable tool.
“I was very happy with this student coming up with this idea,” she says.
Though the original inspiration was COVID-19 testing, the sensor’s potential extends beyond infectious disease testing. Mirhassani says the team has considered the possibility for using it to monitor blood sugar and glucose levels.
“What was inspiring for me was that the students were able to think outside the box,” says Mirhassani.
“There was a problem right then about the need for developing sensors and the fact is that it's a very simple structure and not a very complicated sensor measurement,” she says.
“We looked at some old or some well-known principles in electronics and used it for this purpose for this identification and sensor.”
Mirhassani says they held a marketplace assessment of the product, and the feedback was very positive.
“We're currently looking for an industry partner to help manufacture.”
The patent, titled Capacitance Variation Measurement Mixed Signal IC Based on High-Frequency Response, was awarded in 2025.