Exploring optical spectroscopic techniques and nanomaterials for virus detection

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology
• Immunology

Background:

• Viral infections, including COVID-19 and HIV, present global health challenges, highlighting limitations in current diagnostic capabilities.
• The development of affordable, portable, and sensitive point-of-care (POC) biosensors for HIV detection is crucial for effective clinical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a proof-of-concept for a novel biosensor system designed for the detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pseudoviruses.
• To utilize anti-HIV1 gp41 antibodies as capturing agents immobilized on glass substrates for HIV detection.

Main Methods:

• Immobilization of anti-HIV1 gp41 antibodies onto silane-treated glass substrates.
• Detection of HIV pseudoviruses using antibody-conjugated selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and gold nanoclusters (AuNCs).
• Characterization of nanoparticle conjugation and surface morphology using UV-vis spectroscopy, TEM, zeta potential, fluorescence microscopy, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• Successful conjugation of SeNPs and AuNCs to anti-HIV1 gp41 antibodies was confirmed by UV-vis and zeta potential analyses.
• Antibody-immobilized substrates effectively captured intact HIV pseudoviruses, as evidenced by fluorescence microscopy and AFM.
• Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of HIV-related biomolecules, differentiating between substrates with and without pseudoviruses.

Conclusions:

• The developed biosensor system demonstrates significant potential for sensitive and accurate HIV detection.
• This proof-of-concept provides a foundation for developing advanced point-of-care biosensors for HIV diagnosis.