Departmental News

Posted:  May 10, 2021 - 12:00am

UNM researchers create new chip technology to better test for, trace COVID-19

KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

Researchers at UNM have developed new technology they said better tests for COVID-19. It also allows for faster and more accurate tracing of the virus, which they believe will ultimately save lives.

A UNM professor who helped develop it said this new chip will help them track and understand the variants in real time and help society make more informed decisions.

“A virus out of control like this, it gives it many opportunities to mutate,” said Jeremy Edwards, professor and director of the Computational Genomics and Technology (CGaT) Laboratory at The University of New Mexico.

He’s talking about mutations of COVID-19 that could have very different outcomes like being more contagious. That’s why Edwards said tracking and understanding variants is so important. He and other researchers from Centrillion Technologies in Palo Alto, CA, are doing this through their new chip technology.

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