Shanxi University has been approved for three provincial-level projects in the research of prevention and control of the novel coronavirus, according to officials at SXU, located in Taiyuan city, capital of North China's Shanxi province.

The three projects involve the development of a coronavirus detection kit, an evaluation and analysis platform for virus prediction, early warning and prevention and the novel coronavirus whole genome sequencing method.

Professor Jin Zhen from Shanxi University is leading a 60-member team to carry out propagation modeling, computational simulations and evaluations of the intervention measures of the coronavirus.

The team will submit daily calculation results to the National Health Commission, providing a quantitative reference for decision-making.

The calculations will provide the proportion of patients infected with COVID-19 among suspected cases and the calculation of the positive rate of nucleic acid detection. They also reveal the turning point, peak time and the final epidemic scale of the virus in Wuhan -- the city hardest hit by the epidemic in China – as well as in Shanxi province and nationwide.

The team also established a big data platform for predications, early warnings and prevention of the virus.

Meanwhile, professor Wu Changxin is committed to developing a new type of coronavirus real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR detection method with high sensitivity and specificity. It aims to solve the problem of collecting samples, due to the sputum difficulty in patients with lower respiratory tract caused by the virus.

Wu also plans to develop a new novel coronarvirus pneumonia detection kit based on the PCR detection method. It is expected to improve the virus detection accuracy.

A team led by associate professor Li Jianguo plans to establish a coronavirus genome-wide amplification method and apply it to the detection of the virus clinical specimens. It can be used to quickly target patients who are prone to severe conditions and to target potential super communicators -- which can help reduce the severity of illness and mortality and more effectively control the development of the epidemic.