Low-cost, accurate COVID-19 antibody detection platform
Portable imager could massively increase testing across nation by end of
2020

Date:
August 19, 2020
Source:
University of California - Irvine
Summary:
A robust, low-cost imaging platform utilizing lab-on-a-chip
technology may be available for rapid coronavirus diagnostic and
antibody testing throughout the nation by the end of the year.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A robust, low-cost imaging platform utilizing lab-on-a-chip technology
created by University of California, Irvine scientists may be available
for rapid coronavirus diagnostic and antibody testing throughout the
nation by the end of the year.


==========================================================================
The UCI system can go a long way toward the deployment of a vaccine for
COVID- 19 and toward reopening the economy, as both require widespread
testing for the virus and its antibodies. So far, antibody testing in the
U.S. has been too inaccurate or expensive to reach the necessary numbers.

But UCI investigators Weian Zhao, Per Niklas Hedde, Enrico Gratton and
Philip Felgner believe that their new technology can help accelerate
the testing process quickly and affordably. Their discovery appears
in the journal Lab on a Chip, which is published by the Royal Society
of Chemistry.

"We need to test millions of people a day, and we're very far from
that," said Hedde, a project scientist in pharmaceutical sciences and
the study's lead author. "This accurate testing platform enables public
health officers to implement individualized mitigation strategies
that are needed to safely reopen the country and economy." How it
works Using blood from a finger prick, the UCI test probes hundreds
of antibody responses to 14 respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2,
in a mere two to four hours. Identifying responses to viral infections
with symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 will keep hospitals clear of patients with standard colds and flus.



==========================================================================
The results are printed on a low-cost imaging platform. The TinyArray
imager combines a 3D-printed prototype with an off-the-shelf LED
and a small 5- megapixel camera to find markers for many antibodies simultaneously. This ensures accuracy equal to that of expensive imaging systems but makes the platform portable enough to deploy anywhere --
at a cost of only $200.

The same device can also process the results of commonly used nose swab
tests for SARS-CoV-2 so that patients can be tested for COVID-19 and
its antibodies on a single platform.

Currently, most antibody tests only check for one or two antigens,
the foreign substances that cause the body to produce antibodies.

"A month or two ago, testing was kind of regarded as the Wild West,"
said Zhao, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, adding that most
SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests are "just not accurate." Systems that test
for the full range of antibodies necessary for reliable results require
imaging machines that cost $10,000 to $100,000 and are too bulky for
widespread use. Areas without the resources to acquire one of these
machines have to send their samples to external labs for testing,
meaning that results take days instead of hours.



==========================================================================
Big impact Large-scale testing will determine what percentage of the
population had COVID- 19 but never showed symptoms, which will have a
big impact on public health and reopening decisions.

"What if it turns out that a larger percentage of the people in a
community have already contracted the virus?" Zhao said. "This means
you are closer to accomplishing herd immunity." And understanding what antibodies are produced and how long they last will be key in developing
an effective vaccine and administering the right dosage. This may be
critical for years to come if the virus mutates, requiring updates much
like yearly flu vaccinations.

The UCI team has already completed 5,000 tests in Orange County, and the
final goal is to test 20,000 samples per unit a day. The researchers
are partnering with UCI startups Velox Biosystems Inc. and Nanommune
Inc. to scale up production. They expect that the TinyArray imager will
be ready to deploy across the U.S. by the end of 2020 and are working
with scientists in Uruguay, Russia and Thailand to develop similar
systems for their nations.

"This would be great for a low-income country," Hedde said. "Because the device's materials are cheap and easy to obtain, the platform is easy
to manufacture and use in low-resource areas, making testing accessible
on a world scale." Aarti Jain, Rie Nakajima, Rafael Ramiro de Assis,
Trevor Pearce, Algis Jasinskas and Saahir Khan of UCI along with Timothy
Abram and Melody Toosky of Velox Biosystems participated in the study,
which was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants P41
GM103540 and R01 AI117061) and a UCI CRAFT- COVID grant.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_California_-_Irvine. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Per Niklas Hedde, Timothy J. Abram, Aarti Jain, Rie Nakajima, Rafael
Ramiro de Assis, Trevor Pearce, Algis Jasinskas, Melody N. Toosky,
Saahir Khan, Philip L. Felgner, Enrico Gratton, Weian Zhao. A
modular microarray imaging system for highly specific COVID-19
antibody testing. Lab on a Chip, 2020; DOI: 10.1039/D0LC00547A ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200819155718.htm

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