Rapid single-molecule detection of COVID-19 and MERS antigens via nanobody-functionalized organic electrochemical transistors

by K. Guo, S. Wustoni, A. Koklu, E. Díaz-Galicia, M. Moser, A. Hama, A.A. Alqahtani, A.N. Ahmad, F.S. Alhamlan, M. Shuaib, A. Pain, I. McCulloch, S.T. Arold, R. Grünberg, S. Inal
Year:2021

Bibliography

Rapid single-molecule detection of COVID-19 and MERS antigens via nanobody-functionalized organic electrochemical transistors
K. Guo, S. Wustoni, A. Koklu, E. Díaz-Galicia, M. Moser, A. Hama, A.A. Alqahtani, A.N. Ahmad, F.S. Alhamlan, M. Shuaib, A. Pain, I. McCulloch, S.T. Arold, R. Grünberg, S. Inal
Nature Biomedical Engineering, 1-12, 8, 2021

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the need for rapid and sensitive protein detection and quantification in simple and robust formats for widespread point-of-care applications. Here, we report on nanobody-functionalized organic electrochemical transistors with a modular architecture for the rapid quantification of single-molecule-to-nanomolar levels of specific antigens in complex bodily fluids. The sensors combine a solution-processable conjugated polymer in the transistor channel and high-density and orientation-controlled bioconjugation of nanobody–SpyCatcher fusion proteins on disposable gate electrodes. The devices provide results after 10 min of exposure to 5 μl of unprocessed samples, maintain high specificity and single-molecule sensitivity in human saliva and serum, and can be reprogrammed to detect any protein antigen if a corresponding specific nanobody is available. We used the sensors to detect green fluorescent protein, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) spike proteins, and for the COVID-19 screening of unprocessed clinical nasopharyngeal swab and saliva samples with a wide range of viral loads.

Keywords

COVID-19 Single-Domain Antibodies Antigens Organic electrochemical transistors
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