A point-of-care, microfluidics-based approach for multiplexed detection of biomarkers in unprocessed blood using a surface plasmon resonance sensor

总部位于蒙特利尔的初创企业Affinité Instruments正在开发一种低成本的即时护理（POC）设备，用于使用全血样本快速检测COVID-19抗体。由于抗体与新型严重急性呼吸道综合征冠状病毒（SARS-COV-2）感染免疫力之间的关系尚不清楚，因此抗体检测可用于评估既往病原体暴露情况。 在拟议的项目中，抗体的检测将通过使用与微流体样品制备平台集成的表面等离子体共振（SPR）装置进行。表面等离子体共振技术是生物传感、抗体鉴定、药物开发等领域的重要分析手段。用抗人免疫球蛋白（IgG、IgM和伊加）抗体功能化的SPR传感器可用于检测纳摩尔范围内的抗SARS-CoV-2抗体。为了开发用于COVID-19抗体临床检测的下一代SPR产品，需要设计定制的微流体平台以将血浆与全血分离，从而实现直接血液检测。在这个项目中，Affinité Instruments与滑铁卢大学的Poudineh小组（生物医学应用微流体设备设计和制造专家）合作，开发了一个定制设计的微流体平台，可以与SPR传感器集成。使用血浆分离膜，无泵微流控过滤装置将在不到10分钟的时间内分离血浆。收集的血浆将直接送到SPR，SPR将确定血液中COVID-19抗体的水平。拟议的POC设备将在不到10分钟的时间内从全血中提供快速诊断，并且比任何现有的检测技术都更准确。这项新的检测技术将限制病毒的传播，这项研究的成功将对加拿大和全球经济的复苏产生潜在的影响。

Affinité Instruments, a Montréal-based start-up, is developing a low-cost, point-of-care (POC) device for rapid detection of COVID-19 antibodies using whole blood sample. As the relationship between antibodies and immunity to infection with the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) is still unknown, detection of antibodies can be used to assess previous exposure to pathogens. In the proposed project, the detection of antibodies will be performed by using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) device integrated with a microfluidic sample preparation platform. The SPR device is a key bioanalytical method in biosensing application, antibody characterization, and drug discovery and development. SPR sensor that is functionalized with anti-human immunoglobin (IgG, IgM, and IgA) antibodies can be used to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the nanomolar range. To develop a next-generation SPR product for clinical testing of COVID-19 antibodies, there is a need to design a customized microfluidic platform to separate plasma from whole blood to enable direct blood testing. In this project, Affinité Instruments teams up with Poudineh group (expert in microfluidic device design and fabrication for biomedical application) at the University of Waterloo to develop a custom designed microfluidic platform that can be integrated with SPR sensor. Using a plasma separation membrane, the pump-free microfluidic filtration device will separate plasma in less than 10 min. The collected plasma will be directly sent to SPR which will determine the levels of COVID-19 antibodies in the blood. The proposed POC device will offer a rapid diagnosis in less than 10 min from whole blood and will be more accurate than any existing testing technologies. This novel detection technology will limit the spread of virus and the success of this study will have potential impact in recovering Canadian and global economies.