Unmet Need
COVID-19 is a disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. As of September 2020, there are over 33 million cases of COVID-19 globally, resulting in 1 million deaths from the virus. Due to diverse individual responses to the virus and limited testing, it has been particularly hard to identify individuals that present no or mild symptoms but can still transmit the infection. To achieve this, it is required to have access to accurate, rapid testing deployed at scales of hundreds of thousands of tests to effectively monitor infection spread and establish mitigation strategies. Thus, there is a need for antibody tests that can be manufactured at scale and deployed at the point of need, for example, at homes, to achieve comprehensive monitoring of immunity, better understand and limit disease spread.
Technology Overview
The inventors have a proposed solution to quantitatively measure patient antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 at the point of need without the use of power sources or expensive instrumentation. The method involves adapting commercial glucose sensors to population-scale measurement of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This method combines a sandwich immunoassay with electrochemical detection through the use of a glucometer. The method also implements biocompatible composite hydrogels in order to prevent the non-specific binding of proteins. The testing approach will include a test strip coated with the hydrogels, which will contain a SARS-CoV-2 antigen. The user will insert the test into a tube containing the patient specimen. If the sample contains anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, they will bind and form complexes on the gel. Following three reagent steps, glucose will be produced on the strip. The amount of glucose produced will be directly proportional to the concentration of antibody-antigen complexes produced by the patient specimen. The tester, by measuring this glucose readout, will obtain a quantitative measure of the extent of immunological response in the specimen.
Stage of Development
The technology is currently in the ideation phase.
Publications
1. Hopkins Medicine Article September 2020
