Issue 1, 2021

A high-throughput multiplexed microfluidic device for COVID-19 serology assays

Abstract

The applications of serology tests to the virus SARS-CoV-2 are diverse, ranging from diagnosing COVID-19, understanding the humoral response to this disease, and estimating its prevalence in a population, to modeling the course of the pandemic. COVID-19 serology assays will significantly benefit from sensitive and reliable technologies that can process dozens of samples in parallel, thus reducing costs and time; however, they will also benefit from biosensors that can assess antibody reactivities to multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Here, we report a high-throughput microfluidic device that can assess antibody reactivities against four SARS-CoV-2 antigens from up to 50 serum samples in parallel. This semi-automatic platform measures IgG and IgM levels against four SARS-CoV-2 proteins: the spike protein (S), the S1 subunit (S1), the receptor-binding domain (RBD), and the nucleocapsid (N). After assay optimization, we evaluated sera from infected individuals with COVID-19 and a cohort of archival samples from 2018. The assay achieved a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 91%. Nonetheless, both parameters increased to 100% when evaluating sera from individuals in the third week after symptom onset. To further assess our platform's utility, we monitored the antibody titers from 5 COVID-19 patients over a time course of several weeks. Our platform can aid in global efforts to control and understand COVID-19.

Graphical abstract: A high-throughput multiplexed microfluidic device for COVID-19 serology assays

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Okt 2020
Accepted
19 Nov 2020
First published
19 Nov 2020

Lab Chip, 2021,21, 93-104

A high-throughput multiplexed microfluidic device for COVID-19 serology assays

R. Rodriguez-Moncayo, D. F. Cedillo-Alcantar, P. E. Guevara-Pantoja, O. G. Chavez-Pineda, J. A. Hernandez-Ortiz, J. U. Amador-Hernandez, G. Rojas-Velasco, F. Sanchez-Muñoz, D. Manzur-Sandoval, L. D. Patino-Lopez, D. A. May-Arrioja, R. Posadas-Sanchez, G. Vargas-Alarcon and J. L. Garcia-Cordero, Lab Chip, 2021, 21, 93 DOI: 10.1039/D0LC01068E

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