A system
composed of two different types of nanoparticles can be used to accurately,
sensitively, and quickly detect viruses.
The earlier a
viral infection is detected, the more effective the treatment. Currently
available tests are accurate but require a long time and/or specialized
personnel, which are not a given in many outbreak settings. To address this, a
team of researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University developed a
biosensor that detects Ebola and avian influenza subtype H7 viruses.
The system has
proven to be very specific: using viral samples on the AuNPs that were only
slightly different from the UCNP viral-specific tags did not yield results. The
researchers then anchored the nanoparticles on a nanoporous alumina platform
instead of having the two components in liquid solution. This increased the
sensitivity of the assay and enabled the detection of “femtomolar” amounts of
virus: equivalent to the lower limit of detection in tests currently used in
clinical practice. This is a crucial level of sensitivity, especially in the
case of Ebola where early treatment can save lives.
The team is
now planning to test the device on various subtypes of influenza and then move
on to the fabrication of a multi-target detection platform that can
simultaneously detect various subtypes of influenza viruses. The system is
still at the research and development stage, but the researchers think it may
become available in two to three years.
Source: Hong Kong
Polytechnic UniversityPosted by Dr. Tim Sandle
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