High-speed and high-throughput label-free, primer-free COVID-19 saliva test using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

检测COVID-19 （SARS-CoV-2）病毒的主要方法有两种：聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测和针对SARS-CoV-2抗体的血液检测。两者都需要定制的生化试剂，如特定的引物、酶、抗体。这类试剂价格昂贵，而且供应有限。此外，这些分析通常需要数小时才能做出诊断，这可能导致病毒通过机场、学校、医院和工作场所的无症状个体传播。我们建议开发一种无引物的SARS-CoV-2检测方法，利用表面增强拉曼光谱（SERS）检测唾液在感染后光学特性的变化。该方法使用低功率激光在几秒钟内以无标记的方式检测分子（脂质，蛋白质，DNA/RNA，特定氨基酸）。非弹性散射激光产生的光谱指纹已被证明对代谢物和疾病状态的变化很敏感，包括能够区分不同类型的病毒。我们的团队将与临床医生和Photon公司等合作，开发一种专业制造的光谱系统，该系统配备了人工智能算法，可以检测感染SARS-CoV-2的个体。

There are two principal ways of detecting the virus responsible for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2): polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and blood tests for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Both require tailored biochemical reagents e.g. specific primers, enzymes, antibodies. Such reagents can be costly and are in limited supply. Moreover, these analyses often require hours for a diagnosis, which could lead to spreading of the virus through asymptomatic individuals in airports, schools, hospitals and workplaces. We propose the development of a primer-free SARS-CoV-2 test that uses surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect changes in the optical properties of saliva upon infection. The method employs low-powered lasers to detect and molecules (lipids, proteins, DNA/RNA, specific amino acids) in a label-free manner within seconds. The inelastically-scattered laser light yields a spectral fingerprint that has proven sensitive to changes in metabolites and disease state, including being able to discriminate between different types of viruses. Our team will work with clinicians and the company Photon etc to develop a professionally made spectroscopy system equipped with an artificial intelligence algorithm that can detect individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2.