posted on 2021-10-12, 00:06authored byAlexander
N. Baker, Sarah-Jane Richards, Sarojini Pandey, Collette S. Guy, Ashfaq Ahmad, Muhammad Hasan, Caroline I. Biggs, Panagiotis G. Georgiou, Alexander J. Zwetsloot, Anne Straube, Simone Dedola, Robert A. Field, Neil R. Anderson, Marc Walker, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Matthew I. Gibson
The COVID-19 pandemic,
and future pandemics, require diagnostic
tools to track disease spread and guide the isolation of (a)symptomatic
individuals. Lateral-flow diagnostics (LFDs) are rapid and of lower
cost than molecular (genetic) tests, with current LFDs using antibodies
as their recognition units. Herein, we develop a prototype flow-through
device (related, but distinct to LFDs), utilizing N-acetyl neuraminic acid-functionalized, polymer-coated, gold nanoparticles
as the detection/capture unit for SARS-COV-2, by targeting the sialic
acid-binding site of the spike protein. The prototype device can give
rapid results, with higher viral loads being faster than lower viral
loads. The prototype’s effectiveness is demonstrated using
spike protein, lentiviral models, and a panel of heat-inactivated
primary patient nasal swabs. The device was also shown to retain detection
capability toward recombinant spike proteins from several variants
(mutants) of concern. This study provides the proof of principle that
glyco-lateral-flow devices could be developed to be used in the tracking
monitoring of infectious agents, to complement, or as alternatives
to antibody-based systems.