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Integration of Antigen Enrichment via Ion Concentration Polarization with a Lateral Flow Assay: Tuning the Electric Field Distribution
Friday, March 12, 2021: 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM
Speaker(s)
Description
The need for more sensitive, rapid, point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests has been made emergent by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, POC detection of nucleocapsids, the most abundant protein in coronaviruses, is challenging because they are present at concentrations too low for traditional lateral flow assays to detect. Current diagnostic tests for COVID-19 require the use of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a sensitive, but expensive and time-consuming technique. The goal of our research is to develop a POC diagnostic platform that preconcentrates antigens for their detection at subpicomolar concentrations in biofluids by lateral flow assay. We employ ion concentration polarization (ICP) to achieve electrokinetic focusing of charged biomolecules along an electric field gradient established in the paper strip of the lateral flow device. Focusing is attained due to a balance between the electrophoretic and convective velocities of the analyte. In this study, we use both a fluorescent tracer, BODIPY2-, and a well-studied antigen-antibody pair, the β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG), to quantify ICP-based enrichment and its impact on the limit of detection of a lateral flow assay. We demonstrate the impact of multiple configurations of applied voltage on the rate and location of enrichment and on the overall performance of the device. The most promising configuration is further characterized and the limit of detection is determined. The resulting platform that is developed is anticipated to have a broad impact on the ability to sensitively and rapidly diagnose a wide range of diseases, including COVID-19. The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement through an award as part of the COVID-19 Initiative.
Additional Info
Keywords: Please select up to 4 keywords ONLY:
Immunoassay,Membrane
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