Low Cost, High Throughput Western Blot Antibody Detection Device for Those Already Infected with COVID-19

对已感染SARS-CoV-2的人进行COVID-19抗体检测的需求尚未得到满足。这可以通过在实验室环境中检测血液样本中SARS-CoV-2抗体的血清学Western Blot测定来实现。抗体与抗原蛋白结合，使用化学发光试剂可见。这项测试可以显示你的免疫系统是否已经抵抗了SARS-CoV-2，甚至几个月前。多年来，Western Blot检测一直用于检测乙肝和其他病毒性疾病。与家用检测试剂盒不同，它们具有接近99.99%的灵敏度和特异性（无假阳性）。测试可以多路复用，多个样本并行运行。成像大约需要20分钟，加上一些准备时间。这种检测方法使用的试剂与目前广泛用于抗原检测的rtPCR检测方法不同，后者目前供不应求。该测试将通过让研究人员更准确地衡量有多少人感染了COVID-19，帮助科学家对抗大流行。现有的Western Blot仪器价格昂贵，灵敏度差，因为它们要么使用扫描线传感器，要么使用透镜耦合的ccd。我们的仪器将使准确的实验室抗体检测能够以低成本增加。我们的项目将使用独特的、大面积的CMOS图像传感器与已经在外科x射线系统中使用的光纤面板相结合，无需透镜或扫描即可进行1:1成像。这使得我们的台式仪器可以捕获更多的光在分析中测量，使其更敏感。由于传感器已经大规模生产，新仪器将比现有仪器便宜得多（约为成本的15%）。传感器可以利用现有的供应链快速批量生产。这将是同类产品中第一款使用大面积图像传感器的1:1成像产品。它将适用于其他Western Blot、Dot Blot和96孔板ELISA应用，包括COVID-19抗原检测、生命科学研究、兽医学和食品安全。

There is an unmet need for COVID-19 antibody testing for those already infected with SARS-CoV-2. This can be accomplished using serological Western Blot assays in a lab setting by detecting antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in blood samples. The antibodies bind to antigen proteins and are visualised using chemiluminescent reagents. This test can show whether your immune system has fought-off SARS-CoV-2, even months previously. Western Blot assays have been used for many years to test for Hepatitis B and other viral diseases. Unlike home test kits, they offer excellent sensitivity and specificity (no false positives) approaching 99.99%. The test can be multiplexed with multiple samples run in parallel. The imaging takes approximately 20 minutes to run plus some preparation time. The test uses different reagents from the rtPCR testing widely used today for antigen testing, which are in short supply.The test will help scientists fight the pandemic by giving researchers a more accurate measure of how many people have had the COVID-19. Existing Western Blot instruments are expensive and have poor sensitivity, because they use either scanning line sensors or lens-coupled CCDs. Our instrument will enable accurate laboratory antibody testing to be ramped up inexpensively. Our project will use unique, large-area CMOS image sensors coupled to fibre optic faceplates already used in surgical X-ray systems for 1:1 imaging without a lens or scanning. This allows our bench-top instrument to capture much more of the light measured in the assay, making it more sensitive. Because the sensors are already in mass production, the new instrument will be far cheaper than existing instruments (about 15% of the cost). Sensors can be rapidly mass produced using the existing supply chain.This will be the first product of its type using 1:1 imaging with a large-area image sensor. It will be applicable to other Western Blot, Dot Blot and 96-well plate ELISA applications including COVID-19 antigen testing, life science research, veterinary medicine and food safety.