State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023 Nanjing, P. R. China.
School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 Anhui, P. R. China.
Anal Chem. 2021 Dec 14;93(49):16646-16654. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c04156. Epub 2021 Nov 30.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, which is fast transmitting and highly contagious, the development of rapid, highly specific, and sensitive detection kits has become a research hotspot. The existing assay methods for SARS-CoV-2 are mainly based on enzymatic reactions, which require expensive reagents, hindering popular use, especially in resource-constrained areas. Herein, we propose an aptamer-based method for the assay of SARS-CoV-2 via binding of the spike protein using functionalized biomimetic nanochannels. To get the analogous effect of human ACE2, a receptor for the spike protein, the aptamer to bind to the spike S1 protein has been first screened by a SELEX technique and then immobilized on the previously prepared nanochannels. In the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the changes in steric hindrance and charge density on the surface of the nanochannels will affect the ion transport, along with a rapid electrochemical response. Our method has been successfully applied to detect the viral particles in clinical pharyngeal swab specimens in one step without sample treatment. We expect this rapid, reagent-free, and sensitive assay method to be developed as a useful tool for diagnosing COVID-19.
随着 COVID-19 的爆发，其具有快速传播和高度传染性的特点，快速、高度特异性和敏感的检测试剂盒的开发已成为研究热点。目前用于检测 SARS-CoV-2 的检测方法主要基于酶反应，需要昂贵的试剂，这阻碍了其普及应用，特别是在资源有限的地区。在此，我们提出了一种基于适体的方法，通过功能性仿生纳米通道结合刺突蛋白来检测 SARS-CoV-2。为了获得类似于人类 ACE2 的效果，即刺突蛋白的受体，首先通过 SELEX 技术筛选出与刺突 S1 蛋白结合的适体，然后将其固定在之前制备的纳米通道上。在 SARS-CoV-2 存在的情况下，纳米通道表面的空间位阻和电荷密度的变化会影响离子传输，并伴有快速的电化学响应。我们的方法已成功应用于一步法检测临床咽喉拭子标本中的病毒颗粒，无需样品处理。我们期望这种快速、无试剂且敏感的检测方法能够成为诊断 COVID-19 的有用工具。
