Continued Evaluation of a Rapid Vertical Flow Assay Platform with Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

在患者护理点快速诊断人类疾病是及时有效治疗的关键。该研究项目将探索一种先进的光谱技术，即众所周知的表面增强拉曼光谱（SERS），可用于将简单的快速垂直流分析转化为更强大的定量测试。本项目试图证明的一种定量快速垂直流动试验，将允许更早地检测人类疾病，并将允许改进卫生保健监测（例如确定HIV病毒载量等）。所有这些在患者护理点仍然是可能的，这将确保快速有效的疾病治疗。我们最近的Engage项目即将结束，我们在这方面取得了很好的进展。改进的检测限和增加的选择性已经被说明，以及与捕获剂和拉曼活性标签结合的稳定和可重复的金胶体的生产指南。然而，还有很多工作要做，包括通过探索其他形状/大小的颗粒来进一步推动检测的极限，以及在生物学相关的基质（即血清）中进行测试。此外，需要一个强大的数据分析方法来推进技术的发展。

Rapid diagnosis of human disease at the patient point-of-care is key to timely and effective treatment. Thisresearch project will explore the extent to which an advanced spectroscopic technique, known assurface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can be used to render a simple rapid vertical flow assay into amuch more powerful quantitative test. A quantitative rapid vertical flow assay, which this project seeks todemonstrate, would allow for earlier detection of human disease, and would allow for improved health caremonitoring (such as in determination of HIV viral load, etc). All of this would still be possible at the patientpoint-of-care, which would ensure rapid and effective disease treatment. Our recent Engage project is comingto an end, and we have made excellent progress on this front. Improved limit-of-detection and increasedselectivity have been illustrated, as well as guidelines for the production of stable and reproducible goldcolloids conjugated with both the capture agent and the Raman-active label. However, there is still much workto do, including pushing the limit of detection further through the exploration of other shapes / sizes ofparticles, as well as testing in biologically relevant matrices (i.e. serum). In addition, a robust data analyticsapproach is needed to advance the technology forward.