Dual model sensors for viral RNA and protein detection for SARS- CoV-2 in saliva

dc.contributor.advisorYang, Zhugen
dc.contributor.advisorChiarelli, Iva
dc.contributor.authorMa Xuanye
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-29T11:44:42Z
dc.date.available2024-08-29T11:44:42Z
dc.date.freetoread2024-08-29
dc.date.issued2023-10
dc.descriptionChianella, Iva - Associate Supervisor
dc.description.abstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic emerged as an infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) over the past 3 years, causing enormous threats to humans and economic loss. It was reported that currently, nearly 68% of the population shows a degree of immunity to the disease. Though vaccine has played a critical role to protect the population, people are at risk of second or third infections with fading antibody titers against the virus. The detection of the viral load was crucial for monitoring the spread of this disease, and the detection of the antibody concentration to the virus was significant as well to understand the neutralization activity and vaccine response. This thesis reports the development of a rapid paper-based platform, which provides nucleic acid detection and immunoassay to test both active infections and body immunity. The project focused on a non-invasive sample, human saliva, as an alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs for diagnosis. The nucleic acid test, employing reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal mediated amplification (RT-LAMP), was further integrated into a novel paper microfluidic platform, where the result could be reported within 30 mins. Under the optimized conditions, RT- LAMP assay correctly detects above 135 copies µL⁻¹ of synthetic SARS-CoV-2 sequence. Moreover, a paper-based immunoassay was devised and constructed, following meticulous refinement of detection parameters and comparative analysis against a conventional 96-well plate assay for the identification of immunoglobulin G (IgG) targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. For the paper- based immunoassay, the dynamic range of the IgG was 0.5 μg mL⁻¹ to 50 μg mL⁻¹ , which was sensitive enough compared to clinical values. It should be noted that only commercially available artificial saliva was utilized to test the analytical performance of the developed assay. In conclusion, these results demonstrated a rapid and easy-to-use paper microfluidics platform with the potential to be further implemented as a comprehensive detection tool for monitoring both pathogenetic infection and immune levels.
dc.description.coursenameMSc by Research in Water
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/22866
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherCranfield University
dc.publisher.departmentSWEE
dc.rights© Cranfield University, 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright holder.
dc.subjectCOVID-19
dc.subjectnucleic acid
dc.subjectantibody concentration
dc.subjectpoint-of-care diagnosis
dc.subjectrapid paper-based platform
dc.subjectreverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal mediated amplification (RT-LAMP)
dc.titleDual model sensors for viral RNA and protein detection for SARS- CoV-2 in saliva
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnameMRes

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Ma_X_2023.pdf
Size:
2.41 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.63 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: