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Abstract
The rapid spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen has generated a huge international public health emergency. Currently the reference diagnostic technique for virus determination is Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) real time analysis that requires specialized equipment, reagents and facilities and typically 3–4 h to perform. Thus, the realization of simple, low-cost, small-size, rapid and point-of-care diagnostics tests has become a global priority. In response to the current need for quick, highly sensitive and on-site detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in several aqueous solutions, a specific molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) receptor has been designed, realized, and combined with an optical sensor. More specifically, the proof of concept of a SARS-CoV-2 sensor has been demonstrated by exploiting a plasmonic plastic optical fiber sensor coupled with a novel kind of synthetic MIP nano-layer, especially designed for the specific recognition of Subunit 1 of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. First, we have tested the effectiveness of the developed MIP receptor to bind the Subunit 1 of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, then the results of preliminary tests on SARS-CoV-2 virions, performed on samples of nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs in universal transport medium (UTM) and physiological solution (0.9% NaCl), were compared with those obtained with RT-PCR. According to these preliminary results, the sensitivity of the proposed optical-chemical sensor proved to be higher than the RT-PCR one. Furthermore, a relatively fast response time (about 10 min) to the virus was obtained without the use of additional reagents.
Highlights
The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a huge international public health emergency [1]
Our proposed device is based on the use of an universal plasmonic plastic optical fiber platform combined with a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) receptor nano-film, designed for the specific recognition of the S1 subunit similar respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 spike protein, for on-site specific and fast measurement of SARS-CoV-2
The preliminary development of the synthesis procedures and the characterization of the optical-chemical sensor were carried out using bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein as a test template molecule, to optimize the concentration of the initiators and the growth times of the surface layer
Summary
The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a huge international public health emergency [1]. Like other coronaviruses [4,5,6], the 2019-nCoV exploits a glycosylated spike (S) protein, protruding from the viral surface, to enter the host cell. This surface protein consists of two functional subunits: the S1 subunit, which contains the receptor-binding-domain (RBD). Diagnostic testing becomes a important tool, in the absence of an effective therapy or a vaccine, to improve patient management and potentially save lives by limiting the contagion [11,12] To this end, detection sensitivity is crucial for early-stage diagnostics
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