Scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) have developed a rapid virus test using gold particles and lasers. The study, led by Dr. Zhenpeng Qin, a UTD associate professor of mechanical engineering, suggests the technology could potentially deliver accurate results faster than existing lab tests.

The new technology — called DIgitAl plasMONic nanobubble Detection, or DIAMOND — is reportedly around 150 times more accurate than standard rapid tests for viruses. DIAMOND’s accuracy is comparable to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which produce results in hours.

Haihang Ye, a UTD research associate in mechanical engineering, said DIAMOND could reduce the sample testing times to 30 minutes but match the accuracy of molecular tests.

“For the [PCR] COVID test, we drive through the pharmacy and give the sample. Getting the sample tested usually takes two to four hours before we get the results,” said Ye.

According to the study, the researchers tested DIAMOND using the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) but said it could be used for other prominent viruses, such as coronavirus or influenza.

A DIAMOND test involves taking a nasal swab from a patient and mixing it with gold nanoparticles that are attached to antibodies for the virus being tested.

If the virus is present in the sample, the antibodies — marked by the gold nanoparticles —  will bind with proteins on the virus’ surface. The sample mixed with labeled antibodies will be injected into a narrow tube on a glass slide. Beams of two lasers hit the liquid sample as it passes through the tube, causing the gold nanoparticles to expand.

The nanoparticles will boil the liquid around them and create vapor bubbles if the expansion is strong enough. If the nanobubbles are large, the sample has tested positive for the virus.

“If there’s no virus, there will be a tiny nanobubble signal from the particle only so we can differentiate the sample’s status,” said Yaning Liu, a UTD mechanical engineering doctoral student, according to The Dallas Morning News. Liu is also the co-first author of the DIAMOND study.

According to a study conducted by Peterson Center of Healthcare and Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker, COVID-19 tests cost between $20 to $1,400. The study, which looked at the largest hospitals in the country, also found that only 3% of the hospitals it surveyed had testing prices below $50.

Unlike other COVID-19 tests, Ye said that a DIAMOND test costs approximately $15.