Nanoparticles could enable a more sensitive and durable rapid COVID-19 test

A rapid test can tell a person if they are positive for COVID-19. Because they are not very sensitive, the tests can fail to detect infections early. Researchers have developed a rapid test that uses a molecule imprinted on the nanoparticles to detect the disease. The new test is more sensitive than the previous one.

The gold standard test for COVID-19 is the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. It takes 1-2 days to get a result from this test, which is expensive and requires trained personnel. People can take rapid antigen tests at home with no training. They lack sensitivity, which results in false negatives. The tests can't be used in wide ranges of temperature and pH. A group of people, including Marloes Peeters and Jake McClements, wanted to make a low-cost, rapid, robust and highly sensitive COVID-19 test.

The researchers created a mold in the nanoparticles of the small fragment of the spike protein. The binding cavities had a good size and shape to bind the imprinted peptide and the entire proteins. The nanoparticles were attached to the printed electrodes. They developed a prototype device that could detect the binding of the virus by measuring the temperature.

The researchers detected a change in temperature for samples that had previously tested positive for COVID-19 when they added seven patient nasopharyngeal samples to the device. The test only took 15 minutes, and preliminary results showed that it could detect a lower amount of the disease than a commercial test. The test could be useful for monitoring the disease in saliva and wastewater because of its long shelf life and acidic pH. To prove that the test has a lower false negative rate, it must be tested on many more patient samples.

More information: Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles Enable Rapid, Reliable, and Robust Point-of-Care Thermal Detection of SARS-CoV‑2, ACS Sensors (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.2c00100 Journal information: ACS Sensors Citation: Nanoparticles could enable a more sensitive and durable rapid COVID-19 test (2022, April 13) retrieved 13 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-nanoparticles-enable-sensitive-durable-rapid.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.