A new RT-LAMP-on-a-Chip Instrument for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Point-of-Care Testing

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for rapid, accessible diagnostic tools.
• Traditional PCR methods require specialized equipment and trained personnel, limiting Point-of-Care applications.
• Isothermal amplification techniques like RT-LAMP offer a simpler alternative for molecular diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-cost, Point-of-Care (POC) instrument for SARS-CoV-2 detection.
• To integrate Reverse-Transcription Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) with a Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) platform.
• To enable rapid and automated diagnosis using image recognition software.

Main Methods:

• A POC instrument was constructed using a Raspberry Pi, Arduino microcontroller, and 3D-printed components.
• Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) Lab-on-a-Chip devices were fabricated using CO2 laser cutting.
• Temperature control was achieved via a PID algorithm, and diagnosis utilized colorimetric detection with Phenol Red and OpenCV image analysis.

Main Results:

• The developed RT-LAMP POC instrument processed samples in 30 minutes, with software interpretation in under a second.
• The system demonstrated an 86% assertiveness in diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 from 22 clinical samples compared to standard RT-LAMP.
• Color changes of Phenol Red in the chip chambers were reliably detected by image recognition software.

Conclusions:

• The developed low-cost POC LOC instrument provides a feasible platform for rapid SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis.
• The integration of RT-LAMP, LOC, and automated image analysis offers a promising approach for decentralized molecular testing.
• This technology has the potential to improve accessibility to infectious disease diagnostics in resource-limited settings.