A new method that can rapidly determine whether a virus is infectious or non-infectious could revolutionize the response to future pandemics. Called FAIRY ( F luorescence A ssay for v IR al Integrit Y ), the assay can screen viruses against virucidal antivirals in minutes, allowing for the effectiveness of antiviral measures, such as disinfectants that break the chain of infection, to be quickly determined. Dr.
Samuel Jones from Birmingham's School of Chemistry led the research team that developed the FAIRY assay. He said: "On average, every four years a new virus is discovered that has pandemic potential, and there are many more already known viruses that could cross the species barrier. Yet to best of our knowledge there is currently no assay capable of identifying whether a sample contains intact or non-intact viruses, and therefore shows whether it is infectious or non-infectious, without cell cultivation that could take weeks.
" The current gold standard method for determining viral infectivity uses cultured cells, which takes many days to show results, requires specialist staff to do the testing, and also needs a cultivatable cell line, which is not available for all viruses. The need to use cultured cells also limits current techniques to antivirals that are non-damaging to cells, making the discovery of new disinfectant solutions an additional challenge. The new method uses a dye that can ordinarily penetrate viruses through pores in the capsid (protein shell) that sur.