Plasmonic optical biosensor for COVID-19 detection

2019年12月，武汉(中国)出现一种新型人类冠状病毒，命名为严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型(SARS-COV-2，简称COVID19)，并迅速成为一场全球大流行。为了控制和遏制这一大流行，正在作出重大努力，调整现有的诊断测试，包括那些使用标准逆转录聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)方法的诊断测试，以检测COVID19病毒。尽管RT-PCR具有很高的灵敏度和在样本中检测少量COVID19的能力，但它非常耗时，而且容易出现诊断错误(假阳性和假阴性)。考虑到情况的极端紧迫性，Rosei教授在INRS和Maxwell lian的团队决定共同努力，开发一种抗菌素传感技术，特别是COVID19检测。为此，他们将利用他们的专业知识和研发战略的互补性，包括为开发高性能和低成本的先进光学传感器探索新的研究机会。特别是，我们计划将Maxwell的现有传感技术应用于此目的。Maxwell将其在光纤传感器和基于光子-等离子体谐振器的技术方面的核心专业知识与该项目开发的纳米材料和工艺协同结合起来。 这个多学科项目将在纳米材料设备、光学传感器和数据分析领域为一名博士后研究员提供培训，这些领域与我们的合作伙伴非常相关。该项目的成功将有助于生物传感方面的先进知识，并将使我们的工业合作伙伴能够开发出一种基于光学传感的具有商业竞争力的技术和新产品，优于目前的电子传感器技术。

In December 2019 a new type of human coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2, or COVID19) emerged in Wuhan (China) and has rapidly become a global pandemic. To control and thwart this pandemic, significant efforts are being deployed to adapt existing diagnostic tests, including those that use the standard reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method, for detecting the COVID19 virus. Despite its high sensitivity and ability to detect small COVID19 amounts in samples, RT-PCR is time consuming and subject to diagnostic errors (false positives and false negatives). Given the extreme urgency of the situation, Prof. Rosei's team at INRS and Maxwellian decided to join efforts to develop a technology for antimicrobial sensing and specifically COVID19 detection. To this end, they will capitalize on the complementary nature of their expertise and R&D strategies consisting in exploring new research opportunities for the development of high performance and low cost advanced optical sensors. In particular, we plan to adapt Maxwellian's existing sensing technology for this purpose. Maxwellian brings its core expertise in optical fiber sensors and its technology based on photonic-plasmonic resonators to synergistically combine it with developed nanomaterials and processes that comes from this project. This multidisciplinary project will provide training to a post-doctoral fellow in the areas of nanomaterial-based devices, optical sensors and data analysis which are greatly relevant to our partners. The success of this project will contribute to advance knowledge in biosensing and will enable our industrial partner to develop a commercially competitive technology and new products based on optical sensing, superior to current electronic sensor technologies.