Testing the Wastewaters: Researchers Develop a Fast and Effective Method for Detecting SARS-CoV-2

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Since the on-set of the pandemic, researchers around the world in diverse fields of study have pivoted their work to support the fight against COVID-19. Dr. Amina Stoddart, an assistant professor in Dalhousie University’s department of civil and resource engineering and researcher at the Centre for Water Resources Studies, is no different. Listen as she explains how her research team is using their expertise in water treatment to design an ingenious method to detect the COVID-19 virus.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-testing-the-wastewaters-detecting-sars-cov-2/

In Season 1, Episode 7 – Testing the Wastewaters: Researchers Develop a Fast and Effective Method for Detecting SARS-CoV-2, we cover:

1:10 – What is the Centre for Water Resources Studies, and what does it do?

1:33 – How the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the centre’s research

2:41 – Detecting SARS-CoV-2 virus: Wastewater surveillance

4:10 – Sewer systems in urban settings and how to determine where to sample from

5:21 – Wastewater gives insight into clinical case increases

8:49 – Partnership with Lumin Ultra

9:45 – Rapid tests for wastewater: Moving the lab to the sample location

12:19 – Potential application in rural areas and septic systems

13:35 – Targeted sewer shed sampling: Identifying areas connected to long term care facilities, universities, etc.

14:27 – Next steps and future aspirations

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Amina Stoddart is an assistant professor in Dalhousie University’s department of civil and resource engineering and researcher at the Centre for Water Resources Studies. Her research team is leading a project aimed at detecting the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19 in human wastewater, helping to identify the potential presence of the virus quickly and before it can spread.

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