Rapid, ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor developed to detect SARS-CoV-2
Close-up of glass vials on a conveyor belt in a pharmaceutical production facility, showcasing modern manufacturing processes.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (IL, USA) have developed a quantitative paper-based electrochemical biosensor chip to digitally detect genetic material of the novel coronavirus within 5 minutes. The biosensor works by targeting two regions of the nucleocapsid phosphoprotein on the SARS-CoV-2 virus with highly specific antisense oligonucleotide probes. In addition to these probes, gold nanoparticles are capped with single-stranded nucleic acids, offering a further ultrasensitive probe for the virus RNA. The viral RNA, when hybridized with these probes, causes a change in the sensor's electrical response. The gold nanoparticles accelerate electron transfer and result in an increase...