A chip-based potentiometric sensor for a Zika virus diagnostic using 3D surface molecular imprinting

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Infectious Diseases
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks pose significant global health risks.
• Current diagnostic methods (antibody/RNA-based) have limitations including cost, time, and practicality for remote testing.
• There is a critical need for rapid, accurate, and accessible Zika virus diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a point-of-care (POC) diagnostic system for Zika virus detection.
• To utilize a chip-based potentiometric sensor with 3D molecular imprinting for ZIKV detection.
• To evaluate the sensor's sensitivity, selectivity, and performance in clinical samples.

Main Methods:

• Development of a chip-based potentiometric sensor.
• Application of a 3D molecular imprinting technique for ZIKV recognition.
• Testing the sensor's detection limit in buffered solutions and human saliva.
• Assessing cross-reactivity with Dengue virus.

Main Results:

• The sensor detected 10^-1 PFU mL^-1 ZIKV in buffered solution within 20 minutes.
• No cross-reactivity was observed with Dengue virus at clinical viral loads.
• The sensor successfully detected 10 PFU mL^-1 ZIKV in human saliva samples.
• High sensitivity and selectivity were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The developed lab-on-a-chip diagnostic system shows potential as a POC device.
• This sensor offers rapid and accurate screening for flaviviruses like Zika.
• The technology addresses limitations of current diagnostic methods, especially for resource-limited settings.