Fig. 1.

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC)-based diagnostic strategy for SARS-CoV-2 infectivity: Laboratory engineered mask allows collection of EBC by first cooling the mask for 30 min in the freezer, putting on the cooled mask and breathing into it for 5 min. EBS formed in the Teflon-lining of the inside of the mask is collected and directly deposited onto an electrochemical sensing modified with SARS-CoV-2 specific aptamer targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) region of the S1 spike protein as surface receptor. Using ferrocenemethanol as a redox meditator before and after viral interaction allows discrimination between positive and negative EBC samples.