ELECTRA platform: Electrochemical-based Aptasensor for early detection of COVID-19

由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型（SARS-CoV-2）引起的冠状病毒病（COVID-19）具有高度传染性。因此，COVID-19诊断检测对于追踪病毒、为病例管理提供信息和抑制病毒传播至关重要。目前的COVID-19检测依赖于基于实验室的病毒基因鉴定或抗体检测;然而，这些检测昂贵、耗时，需要专门的设备和训练有素的人员。因此，在快速、可靠和负担得起的COVID-19检测方面存在全球诊断差距。目前的检测方案还忽略了COVID-19生物标志物的一个关键来源，这些生物标志物可以通过产生称为细胞因子的免疫蛋白质，利用人体的炎症反应快速预测感染和补充病毒检测。身体的细胞因子反应发生在感染后24小时内。这些细胞因子的过度产生，被称为病毒风暴，与恢复后的健康并发症如肺炎有关。因此，同时检测病毒病原体和验证宿主细胞因子生物标志物的诊断设备将为COVID-19的早期检测提供二合一诊断解决方案。然而，没有这样的实时、无标签、特异性和灵敏的诊断解决方案可以在单个平台上实现这一点。 拟议的研究项目和合作伙伴关系旨在通过开发二合一的COVID-19病毒和免疫检测平台-ELECTRA平台（基于ELECTROchemical-based Aptasensor的缩写）来解决这一技术差距。该传感器将被配置为场效应晶体管，其中石墨烯基导电通道（GFET）将被选定的一组对SARS-CoV-2结构蛋白和COVID-19升高的细胞因子具有高亲和力的适体功能化。它将被纳入ELECTRA实时探测器的原型。所提出的方法是早期检测COVID-19的独特技术，也有可能应用于其他病毒感染的诊断。

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly infectious. Therefore, diagnostic testing for COVID-19 is critical for tracking the virus, informing case management and suppressing viral transmission. Current tests for COVID-19 rely on laboratory-based viral gene identification or antibody testing; however, these tests are expensive, time-consuming and require specialized equipment and trained personnel. Hence, there is a worldwide diagnostic gap for COVID-19 testing that is fast, reliable and affordable. Current testing protocols also overlook a key source of COVID-19 biomarkers that can rapidly predict infection and complement viral detection by using the body's inflammatory response through the production of immune proteins called cytokines. The body's cytokine response occurs within 24 hours of infection. The hyperproduction of these cytokines, known as a cytokine-storm, has been linked to post-recovery health complications such as pneumonia. Therefore, a diagnostic device that simultaneously detects the viral pathogen and verifies host cytokine biomarkers would provide a two-in-one diagnostic solution for the early detection of COVID-19. However, there is no such real-time, label-free, specific and sensitive diagnostic solution that can achieve this on a single platform. The proposed research project and partnership aim to address this technology gap through the development of a two-in-one COVID-19 viral and immune detection platform - the ELECTRA platform (short for ELECTRochemical-based Aptasensor). The sensor will be configured as a field-effect transistor in which a graphene-based conducting channel (GFET) will be functionalized with a selected group of aptamers with high affinity towards SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins and COVID-19 elevated cytokines. It will be integrated into a prototype of the ELECTRA real-time detector. The proposed approach is a unique technique for the early detection of COVID-19 and also has the potential to be applied for the diagnostics of other viral infections.