To address cost, time and accuracy, a new electrochemical test developed by Penn researchers uses electrodes made from graphite—the same material found in pencil lead. Developed by César de la Fuente, Presidential Assistant Professor with appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Science, these electrodes reduce the cost to $1.50 per test and require only 6.5 minutes to deliver 100-percent-accurate results from saliva samples and up to 88 percent accuracy in nasal samples.
