Fast, accurate, point-of-care COVID-19 pandemic diagnosis enabled through advanced lab-on-chip optical biosensors: Opportunities and challenges

Abstract

The sudden rise of the worldwide severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in early 2020 has called into drastic action measures to perform instant detection and reduce the rate of spread. Common clinical and nonclinical diagnostic testing methods have been partially effective in satisfying the increasing demand for fast detection point-of-care (POC) methods to slow down further spread. However, accurate point-of-risk diagnosis of this emerging viral infection is paramount as the need for simultaneous standard operating procedures and symptom management of SARS-CoV-2 will be the norm for years to come. A sensitive, cost-effective biosensor with mass production capability is crucial until a universal vaccination becomes available. Optical biosensors can provide a noninvasive, extremely sensitive rapid detection platform with sensitivity down to ∼67 fg/ml (1 fM) concentration in a few minutes. These biosensors can be manufactured on a mass scale (millions) to detect the COVID-19 viral load in nasal, saliva, urine, and serological samples, even if the infected person is asymptotic. Methods investigated here are the most advanced available platforms for biosensing optical devices that have resulted from the integration of state-of-the-art designs and materials. These approaches include, but are not limited to, integrated optical devices, plasmonic resonance, and emerging nanomaterial biosensors. The lab-on-chip platforms examined here are suitable not only for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein detection but also for other contagious virions such as influenza and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2021
Source ID
10.1063/5.0022211

Entities

People

  • Ali Rostamian
  • Aref Asghari
  • Chao Wang
  • Hamed Dalir
  • Jong‐Dug Shin
  • Kyoung Min Yoo
  • Ray T Chen
  • Xiaochuan Xu

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Goddard Space Flight Center
  • National Cancer Institute
  • United States Army
  • University of Texas at Austin

Tags

Readers

  • Infectious Disease/Epidemiology
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology