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Published on: April 6, 2021
Organic Light-Emitting Diode Based Fluorescence-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Detection
Cheng Lian1, Dan Young2, Richard E Randall2
1Organic Semiconductor Centre, SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9SS, UK.
Insights
This study introduces a novel fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA) using organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for sensitive point-of-care testing (POCT). The developed OLED-FLISA successfully detected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, demonstrating potential for compact and accessible disease diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
- Immunotechnology
Background:
- Conventional immunodiagnostics in central labs are complex and costly, limiting public access.
- Point-of-care tests (POCT) offer convenience but often struggle with sensitivity.
- Developing sensitive, low-cost, and user-friendly immunodiagnostic tools is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact and sensitive fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA) for point-of-care testing (POCT).
- To investigate the use of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as excitation sources for enhanced FLISA sensitivity.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of OLED-FLISA for detecting disease biomarkers, using SARS-CoV-2 antibodies as a model.
Main Methods:
- Designed and tested organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with varying emission spectra as excitation sources for phycoerythrin (PE).
- Investigated and optimized OLED leakage light to minimize background noise and enhance signal detection.
- Validated the developed OLED-FLISA system by detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in human serum samples.
Main Results:
- OLEDs were successfully employed as excitation light sources in a fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA).
- Optimization of OLED emission spectra and leakage light significantly reduced background noise.
- The OLED-FLISA demonstrated effective detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in human serum, proving its potential for POCT.
Conclusions:
- Organic light-emitting diode-based fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (OLED-FLISA) presents a promising approach for sensitive point-of-care testing (POCT).
- This technology offers a pathway towards developing compact, low-cost, and accessible immunodiagnostic devices.
- OLED-FLISA technology has the potential for broad application in detecting various disease biomarkers.
Abstract:
Immunodiagnostics have been widely used in the detection of disease biomarkers. The conventional immunological tests in central laboratories require expensive equipment and, for non-specialists, the tests are technically demanding and time-consuming, which has prevented their use by the public. Thus, point-of-care tests (POCT), such as lateral flow immunoassays, are being, or have been, developed as more convenient and low-cost methods for immunodiagnostics. However, the sensitivity of such tests is often a concern. Here, a fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA) using organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as excitation light sources was investigated as a way forward for the development of compact and sensitive POCTs. Phycoerythrin (PE) was selected as the fluorescent dye, and OLEDs were designed with different emission spectra. The leakage light of different OLEDs for exciting PE was then investigated to reduce the background noise and improve the sensitivity of the system. Finally, as proof-of-principle that OLED-based technology can be successfully further developed for POCT, antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human serum was detected by OLED-FLISA.
