Opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for rapid, accurate, and accessible diagnostic tools to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections. Current diagnostic methods, such as PCR-based tests, require extensive laboratory infrastructure and prolonged processing times, making them unsuitable for widespread, real-time screening. Antigen tests, while faster and more portable, suffer from lower accuracy, particularly in the early stages of infection when viral loads are low or in asymptomatic individuals. This gap in diagnostic capabilities has led to delays in identifying and isolating infected individuals, exacerbating the spread of the virus. There is a critical demand for a device that combines the sensitivity of PCR with the speed and portability of antigen tests, enabling early detection in both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers.
Technology
The patent describes an integrated device for rapid SARS-CoV-2 detection using a microfluidic channel and graphene-based sensing technology. The device consists of a front-end system with a detection zone and a control zone, each containing interdigitated electrodes and a graphene membrane. The microfluidic channel covers the detection zone, allowing its electrodes to be exposed to breath samples. When the detection zone is exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the surface resistance of its graphene membrane increases compared to the control zone. The back-end system detects and compares these resistances to determine the presence of the virus.
Key innovations include:
- Microfluidic Design: The channel includes a gas-liquid interface where breath aerosols are captured in a pre-injected phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution containing spike-binding antibodies. This design enhances viral capture efficiency.
- Graphene Functionalization: The graphene membrane is modified with molecular linkers (e.g., EDC/NHS) and antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. Viral binding alters the membrane’s electrical properties, enabling detection.
- Wireless Operation: The device uses NFC for power and data transmission, allowing integration into wearable devices like masks or standalone breath analyzers.
Advantages
- High Sensitivity: Detects viral concentrations as low as 0.5 pg/mL, suitable for early-stage infections.
- Rapid Results: Provides real-time detection within minutes, unlike PCR tests.
- Portability: Compact and wireless, enabling use in non-clinical settings (e.g., airports, homes).
- Multi-Variant Detection: Antibodies can be tailored to identify specific variants (e.g., Delta, Omicron).
- Additional Health Metrics: Monitors respiratory rate and temperature for comprehensive health assessment.
Application
- Wearable Diagnostics: Integrated into face masks for continuous monitoring.
- Public Health Screening: Deployed in NFC-enabled gates at airports or hospitals for mass screening.
- Home Testing: Standalone breath analyzers for self-diagnosis.
- Research Tools: Study viral transmission dynamics via aerosol analysis.
