Direct Detection of Viruses Using Antibody-Modified Gold Nanorods

Seasonal and sporadic viral infections put enormous burdens on global health and society. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other molecular approaches can be used to detect and identify viruses, they require substantial sample processing time and often have limited portability, limiting their utility in point-of-care settings. In the current study, we investigate the accuracy of direct sensing of two bacteriophages using chemically modified gold nanorods (AuNRs). We demonstrate that when using functionalized polyethylene glycol (PEG), the surface of AuNRs can be modified with desired antibodies against a particular pathogen. Furthermore, PEG protects and passivates the surface of AuNRs against unspecific binding of biomolecules that can be present in the body fluids. We also showed that dynamic light scattering (DLS) was capable of detecting virus-bound AuNRs, enabling confirmatory detection of viruses. These results indicate that antibody-modified AuNRs can be used for the confirmatory detection of various viruses.