Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai 599-8531, Japan.
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), 5-3 Yonban-cho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-8666, Japan.
Biosensors (Basel). 2022 Mar 28;12(4):200. doi: 10.3390/bios12040200.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic. To manage and control the spread of the infection, it is crucial to develop and implement technologies for the early identification of infected individuals and rapid informatization in communities. For the realization of such a technology, a widely available and highly usable sensor for sensitive and specific assay of the virus plays a fundamental role. In this study, we developed an optical sensor based on an imprinted photonic crystal film (IPCF) for quick, simple, and cost-effective detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in artificial saliva. Our IPCF sensor enabled label-free and highly sensitive detection with a smartphone-equipped optical setup. The IPCF surface was functionalized with an anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody for immunoassay. We evaluated the specificity and sensitivity of the IPCF sensor for quantitative detection of the spike protein in artificial saliva using simple reflectometry with a spectrometer-equipped optical setup. Specific and quantitative detection of the spike protein was successfully achieved, with a low detection limit of 429 fg/mL. In the demonstration of reflectometric detection with a smartphone-equipped setup, the sensitivity was comparable with that with a spectrometer-equipped setup. The test result is returned immediately and can be saved to cloud storage. In addition, it costs less than USD 1 for one IPCF to be used for diagnosis. Thus, the developed IPCF has the potential to realize a widely available and highly usable sensor.
由严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2 引起的冠状病毒病（COVID-19）已造成全球大流行。为了管理和控制感染的传播，开发和实施用于早期识别感染者和社区快速信息化的技术至关重要。为了实现这样的技术，广泛可用且高度可用的传感器对于敏感和特异性检测病毒起着根本作用。在这项研究中，我们开发了一种基于印迹光子晶体膜（IPCF）的光学传感器，用于快速、简单且具有成本效益地检测人工唾液中的 SARS-CoV-2 刺突蛋白。我们的 IPCF 传感器使用配备智能手机的光学装置实现了无标记和高灵敏度检测。IPCF 表面用抗 SARS-CoV-2 刺突蛋白抗体进行免疫分析功能化。我们使用配备光谱仪的光学装置通过简单的反射计评估了 IPCF 传感器在人工唾液中定量检测刺突蛋白的特异性和灵敏度。成功实现了对刺突蛋白的特异性和定量检测，检测限低至 429 fg/mL。在配备智能手机的装置的反射检测演示中，灵敏度与配备光谱仪的装置相当。测试结果立即返回，并可以保存到云存储中。此外，每个 IPCF 的诊断成本低于 1 美元。因此，开发的 IPCF 有可能实现广泛可用且高度可用的传感器。
