Aptasensor SPR testing platform for COVID-19

早期发现COVID-19对于阻止新型冠状病毒的传播至关重要。目前的病毒检测技术是基于基因或免疫学测定，然而，这些技术需要昂贵的仪器，实验室设置，广泛的试剂和专业技术知识，以及长的响应时间。这些方法不适用于现场应用，或作为非技术人员的即用型试剂盒。这里提出的研究旨在开发诊断技术，在公共环境中的现场应用。这种新型诊断平台将保持与PCR类似的灵敏度，但将为未经培训的科学家提供一种具有成本效益的用户友好工具，用于在公共场所检测COVID-19。这一水平的准入将导致早期发现COVID-19感染，从而有助于防止病毒在大流行期间传播。拟议的合作伙伴关系的目标是设计用于COVID-19蛋白的表面等离子体共振检测的适体。这一合作将导致有史以来第一项基于新型SPR适体传感器的技术，用于检测COVID-19的蛋白质。

Early detection of COVID-19 is critical to halting the spread of the novel corona virus. Current virus detection technologies are based on genetic or immunological assays, however, these techniques require costly instrumentation, a lab setting, extensive reagents, and specialized technical expertise, as well as long response time. These methods are not amendable to an on-site application, or as a ready-to-use kit by a non-technician. The research proposed here aims to develop diagnostic technologies for on-site applications in public settings. The novel diagnostic platform would maintain sensitivity analogous to PCR, but would offer a cost-effective user-friendly tool to untrained scientists for detection of the COVID-19 in public locations. This level of access would lead to early detection of COVID-19 infections, thereby helping to prevent the virus from spreading during pandemic. The goals of the proposed partnership are to design aptamers for Surface Plasmon Resonance detection of COVID-19 proteins. This partnership will lead to the first ever technology based on the novel SPR aptasensor for detection of proteins of COVID-19.