Micro-COVID variants also detected within seconds Successfully developed 'Aptamer-based biosensor'
Aug 07, 2024
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The unlabeled, unlabeled biosensor, which combines WQCSA (Wooden Quoit information structural Aptamer) into a semiconductor chip and detects various antigens from a patient's saliva, runny nose, sweat, and urine within seconds through electrochemical reactions, has the advantage of being easy and accurate to test and excellent sensitivity by not using existing display materials such as enzymes, fluorescent materials, and isotope using nanotechnology.
It is the first case in the world to develop a multi-biosensor.
The biosensor system developed by the research team is more than 1,000 times faster than the existing antibody-based rapid diagnosis kit or ELISA (enzyme immunoassay method) analysis method, and has high sensitivity and specificity, so it can detect even trace amounts of antigens. In particular, the self-made aptamer (WQCSA) is designed to recognize various antigens in a structural form, enabling detection of dozens of variants.
Since the last COVID-19 pandemic, various variants of 'COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2)' have been occurring continuously. Infectious disease diagnosis, on-site rapid diagnosis kits using antibody and antigen reactions, laboratory-based expensive PCR (Genetic Amplification Test), and ELISA are commonly used. They had a limitation that they could not accurately and quickly identify variants that were continuously rapidly spreading.
Accordingly, the research team used 'aptamer' to secure sensing technology that immediately and accurately detects the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) and variants. Aptamers are substances that bind to specific molecules, and like antibodies, bind to target molecules with high affinity and specificity and are called 'chemical antibodies'. Unlike antibodies that bind to a single site, aptamers recognize the three-dimensional shape of the target protein and thus have higher selectivity to the target than the antibody and are easy to mass-produce at low cost.
Using samples from 60 patients who were tested positive for the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, the research team produced Wooden Quoit-shaped aptamers that specifically bind to key antigens such as spike, nucleocapsid, and other antigens. A biosensing system was completed to confirm the detection of antigens by measuring 'Capacity' by fixing it to a chemically treated glass substrate and then letting current flow.
As a result of conducting tests through biosensors developed by the research team, various COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) variants were detected up to 10 femtomol (fM) concentrations, showing high sensitivity and specificity. The concentration of substances in the body is expressed in 'mol', and femtomol means one-thousandth of a trillionth of a mole.
Professor Han Ho-sung of Surgery at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Senior Researcher Kim Sang-tae expressed their expectations, saying, "Multi-antigen multi-biosensing technology that accurately detects the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) and dozens of variants based on the flexible structural combination of aptamers. It can be used as an efficient diagnostic tool to detect mutant antigens cheaply and quickly."
Professor Park Jeong-soo of the Department of Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine said "The multi-biosensor system developed by the research team will greatly contribute to early detection of diseases and preventing the spread of infectious diseases."
The study was published in the prestigious international journal 『Biosensors & Bioelectronics (IF=13.39)" in the field of analytical chemistry. 논문명은 'SARS-CoV-2 Detection in COVID-19 Patients' Sample using Wooden Quoit Conformation Structural Aptamer (WQCSA)-Based Electronic Bio-sensing System'이다.
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