SAMPLE-TO-ANSWER POINT-OF-CARE VIRUS DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM USING THERMALLY RESPONSIVE ALKANE PARTITIONS

Abstract

Many viral infections can be accurately diagnosed using today’s most sophisticated detection systems. Unfortunately, many of these detection systems fail to benefit society as a whole, but rather favor select areas of the world that are able to install and maintain the infrastructure such diagnostics require. Thus, in an effort to eliminate the barrier of access to diagnosis and treatment in low-and-middle-income areas, portable point-of-care devices are fabricated such that rapid results can be obtained without the need for bulky lab equipment or skilled technicians. An ideal point-of-care diagnostic device can easily collect an untampered sample and limits a patient’s encounter with a clinician to a single visit for both the diagnosis and the treatment. Many so-called point-of-care diagnostics for blood-borne viruses first require blood sample preparation (e.g. centrifugation) prior to testing in the device. Other point-of-care devices sacrifice diagnostic accuracy in favor of speed and portability. Both cases demonstrate our inability to properly distribute the benefits of sophisticated diagnostics worldwide.I present a solution in the form of an affordable handheld diagnostic device with the sensitivity and specificity of benchtop lab equipment and built-in automatic sample preparation. Automatic sample preparation will be achieved using thermally responsive alkane partitions, which are solid at ambient temperatures and liquid at moderately elevated temperatures. When liquid, the alkane partitions allow passage of magnetically activated microbeads coated with material that captures viruses. Despite magnetic beads with virus particles passing through, the alkane partition continues to prevent unwanted sample components (e.g. blood cells, DNases, etc.) from interfering with the virus-detecting mechanism on the other side. To address the lack of sensitivity in many point-of-care diagnostics, the virus-detecting mechanism will feature isothermal amplification which enables detection of attomolar concentrations of virus within 30 minutes without expensive thermo-cycling equipment that standard detection systems require. The novel technology described here is demonstrated in a platform which detects SARS-CoV-2 from blood, a capability currently unachievable in point-of-care settings.