Rapid Detection of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies with a Screen-Printed Electrode Modified with a Spike Glycoprotein Epitope

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by an infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was recognized in late 2019 and has since spread worldwide, leading to a pandemic with unprecedented health and financial consequences. There remains an enormous demand for new diagnostic methods that can deliver fast, low-cost, and easy-to-use confirmation of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. We have developed an affordable electrochemical biosensor for the rapid detection of serological immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody in sera against the spike protein.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A previously identified linear B-cell epitope (EP) specific to the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and recognized by IgG in patient sera was selected for the target molecule. After synthesis, the EP was immobilized onto the surface of the working electrode of a commercially available screen-printed electrode (SPE). The capture of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgGs allowed the formation of an immunocomplex that was measured by square-wave voltammetry from its generation of hydroquinone (HQ).

RESULTS: An evaluation of the performance of the EP-based biosensor presented a selectivity and specificity for COVID-19 of 93% and 100%, respectively. No cross-reaction was observed to antibodies against other diseases that included Chagas disease, Chikungunya, Leishmaniosis, and Dengue. Differentiation of infected and non-infected individuals was possible even at a high dilution factor that decreased the required sample volumes to a few microliters.

CONCLUSION: The final device proved suitable for diagnosing COVID-19 by assaying actual serum samples, and the results displayed good agreement with the molecular biology diagnoses. The flexibility to conjugate other EPs to SPEs suggests that this technology could be rapidly adapted to diagnose new variants of SARS-CoV-2 or other pathogens.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:12

Enthalten in:

Biosensors - 12(2022), 5 vom: 26. Apr.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Ameku, Wilson A [VerfasserIn]
Provance, David W [VerfasserIn]
Morel, Carlos M [VerfasserIn]
De-Simone, Salvatore G [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Antibodies, Viral
COVID-19
Electrochemical biosensor
Epitope
Epitopes
Glycoproteins
Immunoglobulin G
Immunological diagnostic
Journal Article
Point of care
SARS-CoV-2
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Spike glycoprotein
Spike protein, SARS-CoV-2

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 31.05.2022

Date Revised 16.09.2023

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.3390/bios12050272

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM341468592