( e that you can use to dip in a liquid o...)Biodegradable napkin -- featuring sensitive nanofibers -- may quickly detect biohazards

e that you can use to dip in a liquid or wipe across a surface," Frey said. "As you do that, antibodies in the fabric are going to selectively latch onto whatever pathogen that they match. Using this method we should, in theory, be able to quickly activate the fabric to detect whatever is the hazard of the week, whether it is bird flu, mad cow disease or anthrax."

Frey and her colleagues are still working on ways, such as a color change, for the fabric to signal that it has identified the contaminant.

"We're probably still a few years away from having this ready for the real world," Frey said, "but I really believe there is a place for this type of product that can be used by people with limited training to provide a fast indication of whether a biohazard is present."

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Source:Cornell University News Service


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