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Rapid electrochemical detection of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Chaibun T 1 , Puenpa J 2 , Ngamdee T 3 , Boonapatcharoen N 4 , Athamanolap P 1 , O'Mullane AP 5 Show all authors , Vongpunsawad S 2 , Poovorawan Y 2 , Lee SY 6 , Lertanantawong B 7

Affiliations 

  • 1 Biosensors Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
  • 2 Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • 3 Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
  • 4 Pilot Plant Development and Training Institute (PDTI), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
  • 5 School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • 6 Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University, Bedong, Kedah, Malaysia
  • 7 Biosensors Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. benchaporn.ler@mahidol.ac.th
Nat Commun, 2021 02 05;12(1):802.
PMID: 33547323 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21121-7

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Diagnosis of COVID-19 depends on quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), which is time-consuming and requires expensive instrumentation. Here, we report an ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor based on isothermal rolling circle amplification (RCA) for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2. The assay involves the hybridization of the RCA amplicons with probes that were functionalized with redox active labels that are detectable by an electrochemical biosensor. The one-step sandwich hybridization assay could detect as low as 1 copy/μL of N and S genes, in less than 2 h. Sensor evaluation with 106 clinical samples, including 41 SARS-CoV-2 positive and 9 samples positive for other respiratory viruses, gave a 100% concordance result with qRT-PCR, with complete correlation between the biosensor current signals and quantitation cycle (Cq) values. In summary, this biosensor could be used as an on-site, real-time diagnostic test for COVID-19.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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