MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry and machine learning for COVID-19 screening

Researchers from UC Davis Health (CA, USA) in collaboration with SpectraPass (NV, USA) have announced a proof-of-concept platform that can rapidly screen on-site COVID-19 tests utilizing machine learning and mass spectrometry. The testing platform would pair the analytical capabilities of a mass spectrometer with algorithms produced by a machine learning system termed the Machine Intelligence Learning Optimizer (MILO). While conventional SARS-CoV-2 tests aim to detect the virus itself, the novel platform would instead detect COVID-19 through the body’s response to infection. Profiles of various types of infection would then be detected and analyzed through the MILO machine learning algorithms. Nam...