Sample-to-Answer Immuno-Magnetic Assay Using Thermally Responsive Alkane Partitions.

To combat pandemics, there is a need for rapid point-of-care diagnostics to identify infected patients and to track the spread of the disease. While recent progress has been made in response to COVID-19, there continues to be a need for point-of-care diagnostics capable of detecting biomarkers-such as antibodies-in whole blood. We have recently reported the development of thermally responsive alkane partitions (TRAPs) for the automation of point-of-care immuno-magnetic assays. Here, we demonstrate the use of TRAPs to enable sample-to-answer detection of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in whole blood samples. We report a limit of detection of 84 pg/mL, well below the clinically relevant threshold. We anticipate that the TRAP-enabled sample-to-answer immunoassay can be used to track the progression of future pandemics, leading to a more informed and robust clinical and societal response.

MAGNETOFLUIDICS-ENABLED POINT-OF-CARE SARS-COV-2 DIAGNOSTICS

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to mutate, global eradication of infections is unlikely, and COVID-19 is predicted to become a seasonal or endemic disease like influenza. Widespread detection of variant strains will be critical to inform policy decisions to mitigate further spread, and post-pandemic multiplexed screening of respiratory viruses will be necessary to properly manage patients presenting with similar respiratory symptoms. We have developed a portable, magnetofluidic platform for multiplexed PCR testing in <30 min. Cartridges were designed for multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 with either distinctive variant mutations or with Influenza A and B and tested with clinical samples. © 2021 MicroTAS 2021 - 25th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences. All rights reserved.

Point-of-Care Platform for Rapid Multiplexed Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Respiratory Pathogens.

The rise of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants brings new challenges and concerns with vaccine efficacy, diagnostic sensitivity, and public health responses to end the pandemic. Widespread detection of variants is critical to inform policy decisions to mitigate further spread, and postpandemic multiplexed screening of respiratory viruses will be necessary to properly manage patients presenting with similar respiratory symptoms. In this work, a portable, magnetofluidic cartridge platform for automated polymerase chain reaction testing in <30 min is developed. Cartridges are designed for multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 with either identification of variant mutations or screening for Influenza A and B. Moreover, the platform can perform identification of B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants and the multiplexed SARS-CoV-2/Influenza assay using archived clinical nasopharyngeal swab eluates and saliva samples. This work illustrates a path toward affordable and immediate testing with potential to aid surveillance of viral variants and inform patient treatment.