Rapid and sensitive detection of viral nucleic acids using silicon microchips

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Clinical laboratory-based nucleic acid amplification tests (NAT) are crucial for viral diagnosis but require extensive infrastructure, limiting point-of-need (PON) applications.
• Developing rapid and sensitive PON viral NAT is essential to overcome current diagnostic limitations in various clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a silicon microchip platform for rapid and sensitive point-of-need (PON) nucleic acid amplification tests (NAT) for multiple viruses.
• To assess the feasibility of transferring bench-scale NAT assays to a silicon microchip for faster and more accessible viral detection.

Main Methods:

• Developed sensitive one-step RT-qPCR and qPCR assays for RNA and DNA viruses (HCV, HIV, Zika, HPV 16, HPV 18).
• Designed and fabricated a silicon microchip with integrated microreactors, heaters, and microfluidic channels.
• Transferred bench-scale assays to the silicon microchip, performing NAT within 1.3 μL microreactors.

Main Results:

• Achieved high sensitivity (4 copies per reaction) for viral detection using benchtop assays.
• Successfully transferred assays to the silicon microchip, maintaining sensitivity, reproducibility, and efficiency.
• Demonstrated rapid NAT results within 25 minutes on the silicon microchip platform.

Conclusions:

• Rapid and sensitive detection of multiple viruses on a single silicon microchip platform is feasible.
• This silicon microchip technology has the potential to decentralize viral nucleic acid detection from clinical laboratories to the point-of-need.
• Further integration with nucleic acid extraction solutions could revolutionize viral diagnostics.