In the fight against the pandemic, new ideas for rapid diagnosis and preventing the spread of the coronavirus are constantly emerging. Now it’s time for glow masks when someone is infected.

Scientists at Kyoto University have created a special filter that is made from antibodies found in ostriches. When they are exposed to ultraviolet light and come into contact with the coronavirus, they glow. This makes it possible to recognize that someone is “positive,” for example, even before complicated tests and blood tests are performed.

Scientists invented this method after they injected a protein spike of the virus into ostriches (animals are said to be very resistant to coronaviruses) and then extracted antibodies from the yolks of bird eggs. And then put them in filters in a protective mask. So, what’s the purpose of all this? According to one of the scientists, Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, if a viral infection can be detected by this type of antibody on the filter on the face, people with COVID-19 that are asymptomatic or in the early stages of infection can be promptly examined and treated. Of course, it’s not just about the Sars-CoV-2 virus; Tsukamoto says the technique is applicable to other viral diseases as well.