A Label-free Optical Biosensor-Based Point-of-Care Test for the Rapid Detection of Monkeypox Virus

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology
• Infectious Disease Diagnostics

Background:

• Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics require sensitive, specific, and rapid pathogen detection.
• Current laboratory-based methods can be time-consuming and less accessible for rapid disease management.
• Interferometric Reflectance Imaging Sensor (IRIS) technology offers label-free, high-sensitivity detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an improved IRIS platform, Pixel-Diversity IRIS (PD-IRIS), for point-of-care diagnostics.
• To demonstrate the quantitative detection of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) using the PD-IRIS platform.
• To assess the sensitivity, specificity, and potential for multiplexing of PD-IRIS technology.

Main Methods:

• Developed PD-IRIS, an advancement over SP-IRIS, eliminating the need for z-scan acquisition.
• Utilized anti-A29 monoclonal antibody for MPXV capture on sensor chips.
• Quantitatively detected MPXV and assessed specificity against HSV-1 and CPXV.

Main Results:

• Achieved a limit-of-detection (LOD) of 200 PFU/ml (~3.3 attomolar) for MPXV using PD-IRIS.
• PD-IRIS demonstrated superior performance compared to laboratory-based ELISA (LOD - 1800 PFU/mL).
• Confirmed specificity of PD-IRIS for MPXV detection against other viruses.

Conclusions:

• PD-IRIS is a highly sensitive and specific platform for MPXV detection, suitable for POC applications.
• The modular nature of PD-IRIS allows for adaptation to detect other pathogens.
• This technology has the potential to revolutionize infectious disease diagnostics, particularly for Mpox.