Issue 22, 2022

Rapid and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection using a homogeneous fluorescent immunosensor Quenchbody with crowding agents

Abstract

Antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 are widely used by the public during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrates the societal impact of homogeneous immunosensor-related technologies. In this study, we used the PM Q-probe and Quenchbody technologies to develop a SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N protein) homogeneous immunosensor based on a human anti-N protein antibody. For the first time, we uncovered the crowding agent's role in improving the performance of the double-labeled Quenchbody, and the possible mechanisms behind this improvement are discussed. The 5% polyethylene glycol 6000 significantly improved both the response speed and sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 Quenchbodies. The calculated limit of detection for recombinant N protein was 191 pM (9 ng mL−1) within 15 min of incubation, which was 9- to 10-fold lower than the assay without adding crowding agent. We also validated the developed immunosensor in a point-of-care test by measuring specimens from COVID-19-positive patients using a compact tube fluorometer. In brief, this work shows the feasibility of Quenchbody homogeneous immunosensors as rapid and cost-efficient tools for the diagnosis and high-throughput analysis of swab samples in large-scale monitoring and epidemiological studies of COVID-19 or other emerging infectious diseases.

Graphical abstract: Rapid and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection using a homogeneous fluorescent immunosensor Quenchbody with crowding agents

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 ⵢⵓⵏ 2022
Accepted
29 ⵛⵓⵜ 2022
First published
30 ⵛⵓⵜ 2022

Analyst, 2022,147, 4971-4979

Rapid and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection using a homogeneous fluorescent immunosensor Quenchbody with crowding agents

B. Zhu, N. Nosaka, S. Kanamaru, J. Dong, Y. Dai, A. Inoue, Y. Yang, K. Kobayashi, T. Kitaguchi, H. Iwasaki, R. Koike, K. Wakabayashi and H. Ueda, Analyst, 2022, 147, 4971 DOI: 10.1039/D2AN01051H

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