As the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continues to rise, calls for increased testing and tracing have not stopped. At universities across the country, scientists and technologists are busy working on solutions, and in many cases finding that collaboration across disciplines stands the best chance of producing results. 

At the California Institute of Technology, assistant Professor of Medical Engineering, Gao Wei, is in charge of research to help people to detect COVID-19 infections at home, before they show symptoms. 

Gao's lab has created this carbon-based structure which costs less than five cents, but has the ability to detect compounds in tiny amounts. With blood or saliva samples, the sensor has been used on patients to successfully detect whether they’re infected with the COVID-19 virus.

CGTN's Mark Niu reports.