EAPSI:Rapid, Smartphone-based Paper Assay Fabrication for Sensitive and Specific Detection of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

Cho Soohee, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

In summer 2015, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak compromised South Korea, spreading rapidly due to high-density population and humid environment. Patients are quarantined while monitored by lab-based methods, which are laborious, expensive, and requires days for cross-validated results. A rapid diagnostic tool that detects MERS-CoV with high sensitivity and specificity is crucial for preventing further outbreaks. This project aims to fabricate rapid assays that can detect MERS-CoV Spike protein. Spike protein has gained recognition as a high research priority target and serves as a positive mimic for the virus. Smartphone-based analysis enables point-of-care (POC) diagnostics without requiring laboratory expertise and resources. This collaborative project will be performed with Dr. Seungjoo Haam at Yonsei University, South Korea. Dr. Haam has conducted extensive research on fabricating light-sensitive nanostructures that are target-specific, which is critical for efficient detection of MERS-CoV. This project includes fabrication of a rapid, POC microfluidic paper analytical device (µPAD) for sensitive and specific detection of Spike protein. µPADs have gained momentum as an advantageous lab-on-a-chip that makes disease diagnostics cost-effective, are operable by non-experts, and with rapid assay time within 30 s. The PI has expertise in µPAD fabrication and antibody-conjugation on submicron particles for pathogen detection from bio-complex matrices by measuring optical signal change from smartphone-based analysis. However, the optical signal change can be greatly enhanced by the use of Spike protein antibody conjugated to gold nanorods (GNRs), which are light-sensitive and respectively exhibits near-infrared absorbance for a long period upon irradiation. The synergistic product of PI?s µPADs and the collaborator?s GNRs may result in a highly effective lab-on-a-chip system, that enables rapid, POC detection of Spike protein with improved sensitivity and specificity that is unbound to clinical or poor-resource settings. Future work may include detection of other respiratory diseases, such as H1N1 influenza. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the National Research Foundation of Korea.