Integrated microfluidic device using a single universal aptamer to detect multiple types of influenza viruses

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Microfluidics

Background:

• DNA aptamers offer potential for microbial diagnostics due to their specific molecular binding.
• Aptamer conformation changes under varying conditions can impact target affinity and specificity.
• Detecting multiple influenza virus strains necessitates sensitive and rapid diagnostic methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrated microfluidic system for simultaneous detection of multiple influenza virus types.
• To leverage conformational changes of a universal influenza aptamer for diagnostic purposes.
• To enable rapid, point-of-care influenza virus detection.

Main Methods:

• Development of an integrated microfluidic system.
• Utilizing a single, fluorescent-labeled universal DNA aptamer.
• Exploiting predictable aptamer conformational changes in response to varying ion concentrations.
• Simultaneous detection of influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) and influenza B viruses.

Main Results:

• The system successfully distinguished and detected three different influenza viruses concurrently.
• Detection and differentiation were achieved within a 20-minute timeframe.
• The universal aptamer demonstrated reliable performance across different influenza strains.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic system effectively detects multiple influenza viruses using a single aptamer.
• This approach offers a rapid and potentially point-of-care solution for influenza diagnostics.
• The findings highlight the utility of conformation-switching aptamers in complex diagnostic scenarios.