Nanoparticles have the potential to enable more sensitive ones

A rapid antigen test can quickly and conveniently tell a person that they are positive for COVID-19. However, antibody-based tests are less sensitive and may not be able to detect early infections with low viral load.Now the researchers ACS sensor Has developed a rapid test using molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles instead of antibodies to detect SARS-CoV-2. The new test is more sensitive than antibody-based tests and works under more extreme conditions.

The gold standard test for COVID-19 diagnosis remains reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This test is very sensitive and specific, but it usually takes a day or two to produce results, is expensive, and requires special laboratory equipment and trained personnel. In contrast, rapid antigen testing is fast (15-30 minutes) and people can take them home without training. However, due to lack of sensitivity, it can result in false negatives. The test also uses antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 for detection, which cannot withstand a wide range of temperatures and pH. Marloes Peeters and Jake McClements of Newcastle University, Francesco Canfarotta of MIP Diagnostics, and colleagues want to create a low-cost, fast, robust, sensitive COVID-19 test that uses molecular imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIP) instead of antibodies. I was thinking.

Researchers have created nanoMIPs for small fragments or peptides of the SARS-CoV-2 peplomer by creating molecular imprints or molds on nanoparticles. These nanoscale binding cavities had a size and shape suitable for recognizing and binding imprinted peptides, and thus the entire protein. They attached the nanoparticles most strongly bound to the peptide to the printed electrode. After demonstrating that nanoMIP can bind to SARS-CoV-2, we developed a 3D-printed prototype device that detects virus binding by measuring temperature changes.

When the team added samples from the nasopharyngeal swabs of seven patients to the device, the liquid flowed over the electrodes and researchers detected temperature changes in samples previously positive for COVID-19 by RT-PCR. bottom. The test took only 15 minutes, and preliminary results showed that SARS-CoV-2 could be detected in 1 / 6,000 of the commercial rapid antigen test. Unlike antibodies, nanoMIP can withstand high temperatures, extend the shelf life of tests in hot climates, withstand acidic pH, and may be useful for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and saliva samples. there is. However, researchers say that more patient samples need to be tested to prove that the false-negative rate for this test is lower than the existing rapid antigen test.

The authors are grateful for funding and support from Newcastle University, Rosetree Trust, Wellcome Trust, MIP Diagnosis, and Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique.

A summary of the paper is available here at 8 am EST on April 13. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acssensors.2c00100

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