Abstract
In doctor’s offices and emergency rooms, rapid flu tests can yield results in 15 minutes. These immunoassays, which use antibodies to detect influenza proteins, unfortunately produce false negatives in nearly half of flu cases. Polymerase chain reaction tests are more sensitive but often require experienced personnel, typically take hours or days to complete, and are expensive. Researchers have now developed what could be a fast, accurate, and inexpensive alternative: an assay that uses a handheld glucose meter to detect flu virus (Chem. Sci. 2017, DOI: 10.1039/c6sc03720h). In the assay, Suri S. Iyer of Georgia State University and coworkers treat nasal-swab samples with a synthetic conjugate of methoxylated sialic acid and galactose and apply the treated samples to glucose test strips. Neuraminidase enzyme on viruses in the samples cleaves galactose from the conjugate. This released galactose is oxidized by an enzyme on the test strip, producing a current that is measured
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