New graphene-based sensor quickly detects COVID-19 infection

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have designed a new sensor that enables home diagnosis of COVID-19 infection.

Coronavirus disease has been observed as a highly contagious disease that is asymptomatic and can be transmitted to people who contain the virus, after which those infected with it are challenging and time-critical.development of Quick test kit Reduces the time required to assess whether you have the coronavirus, with or without symptoms.

A team at the California Institute of Technology has designed a multiplex test method, a test method that measures and combines multiple data, and incorporates a low-cost sensor that can diagnose COVID-19 in less than 10 minutes.Details of their research are published in the journal Matter, Thursday, October 1st.

(Photo: Matter Journal website)
SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex Graph Display-A low-cost, rapid test developed by scientists at the California Institute of Technology.

SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex

Researchers called the proposed test kit SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex. It is an ultra-sensitive and cost-effective telemedicine platform based on a target-specific assay created from laser-engraved graphene. This test kit performs multiplexing tests by assessing the number of known COVID-19 biomarkers such as nucleocapsid protein, anti-spiking protein IgG and IgM, C-reactive protein. This allows you to quickly assess what researchers have called the “three key aspects” of the new coronavirus disease: viral infections, immune response, and disease severity.

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Research on the new test kit was conducted in the laboratory of Weigao, an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology, a member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Andrew and Peggy Cherng. According to the Gao team Press release from the laboratoryHas previously worked on wireless sensors to monitor a variety of health conditions, such as gout and stress, through the concentration of certain proteins in human body fluids such as saliva, sweat, and even blood.

The SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex takes a sheet-like shape using a graphene-based sensor, which is one of the possible arrangements of carbon atoms in a 2D honeycomb lattice. They created a porous 3D graphene structure by etching these pores on a plastic sheet using a laser. The laser creates a hole for accurate measurement and detects compounds that are present in very small amounts. This 3D graphene material also contains specific antibodies that react with the COVID-19 biomarker.

Low cost and fast response test method

Early studies by Gao’s team included antibodies to cortisol, a hormone often associated with stress levels, and uric acid-doped sensors that cause gout at very high concentrations.With SARS-CoV-2 The RapidPlex sensor, a team at the California Institute of Technology, used antibodies synthesized in the body against the virus and chemical markers of inflammation to determine the severity of the infection.

“This is the only telemedicine platform I’ve seen that can provide information about three types of data infections with a single sensor,” says Gao. He further explained that in minutes, different data can be evaluated simultaneously, providing people with a “big picture of the infection,” including infection, immunity, and severity.

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When this is deployed, RapidPlex can solve one of the persistent challenges of COVID-19 diagnostics. This is because existing technologies take hours to return results and also require expensive and specialized equipment to process the process.

The California Institute of Technology test kit has been tested only under controlled conditions using blood and saliva samples collected from previously diagnosed patients-both positive and negative for COVID-19. Gao said the sensor needs additional testing to further determine the accuracy of the sensor.

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