Optical Chip on Disposable Card Could Detect COVID-19 Antibodies from Single Drop of Blood in One Minute
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 19 Jan 2021 |
Image: An earlier iteration of the sensors being used as part of the new optical chips developed in the Miller Lab (Photo courtesy of the Miller Lab)
Researchers are developing an optical chip on a disposable card that can detect exposure to multiple viruses within a minute - including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 - from a single drop of blood.
Led by the University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester, NY, USA), the USD 1.7 million project is funded by the US Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program through a contract with AIM Photonics (Albany, NY, USA). The collaboration also involves Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (Raritan, NJ, USA) which develops and manufactures innovative laboratory testing and blood-typing solutions.
The key to the technology is an optical chip, no larger than a grain of rice. Proteins associated with eight different viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are contained in separate sensor areas of the chip. If someone has been exposed to any of the viruses, antibodies to those viruses in the blood sample will be drawn to the proteins and detected. The card will enable clinicians not only to detect and study COVID-19, but also to better understand potential relationships between COVID-19 infection and previous infections and immunity to other respiratory viruses, including circulating coronaviruses that cause the common cold. The researchers will now use blood drawn from 100 consenting convalescent COVID-19 patients to test the device’s effectiveness and and validate the initial prototype.
“This is a completely new diagnostic platform. We think this is going to be valuable in very broad applications for clinical diagnostics, not just COVID-19,” said University of Rochester Medical Center researcher Benjamin Miller who is leading the project. “But one of the attractive aspects of this is there’s a pathway for this technology to eventually be used in a doctor’s office or a pharmacy. Our goal is to have a validated benchtop prototype by this winter, early spring at the latest.”
“It is exciting to see the sensors work developed by AIM Photonics, over the past five years, now play a part in more effective testing for COVID-19 and future diseases,” added Michael Cumbo, CEO of AIM Photonics. “The industry, academic, and government partnership is a fundamental piece of this institute. Together, we foster successful technology developments such as this optical chip, which in turn enables a very innovative diagnostic platform.”
Related Links:
University of Rochester Medical Center
AIM Photonics
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
Led by the University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester, NY, USA), the USD 1.7 million project is funded by the US Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program through a contract with AIM Photonics (Albany, NY, USA). The collaboration also involves Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (Raritan, NJ, USA) which develops and manufactures innovative laboratory testing and blood-typing solutions.
The key to the technology is an optical chip, no larger than a grain of rice. Proteins associated with eight different viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are contained in separate sensor areas of the chip. If someone has been exposed to any of the viruses, antibodies to those viruses in the blood sample will be drawn to the proteins and detected. The card will enable clinicians not only to detect and study COVID-19, but also to better understand potential relationships between COVID-19 infection and previous infections and immunity to other respiratory viruses, including circulating coronaviruses that cause the common cold. The researchers will now use blood drawn from 100 consenting convalescent COVID-19 patients to test the device’s effectiveness and and validate the initial prototype.
“This is a completely new diagnostic platform. We think this is going to be valuable in very broad applications for clinical diagnostics, not just COVID-19,” said University of Rochester Medical Center researcher Benjamin Miller who is leading the project. “But one of the attractive aspects of this is there’s a pathway for this technology to eventually be used in a doctor’s office or a pharmacy. Our goal is to have a validated benchtop prototype by this winter, early spring at the latest.”
“It is exciting to see the sensors work developed by AIM Photonics, over the past five years, now play a part in more effective testing for COVID-19 and future diseases,” added Michael Cumbo, CEO of AIM Photonics. “The industry, academic, and government partnership is a fundamental piece of this institute. Together, we foster successful technology developments such as this optical chip, which in turn enables a very innovative diagnostic platform.”
Related Links:
University of Rochester Medical Center
AIM Photonics
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
Latest COVID-19 News
- Low-Cost System Detects SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Hospital Air Using High-Tech Bubbles
- World's First Inhalable COVID-19 Vaccine Approved in China
- COVID-19 Vaccine Patch Fights SARS-CoV-2 Variants Better than Needles
- Blood Viscosity Testing Can Predict Risk of Death in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
- ‘Covid Computer’ Uses AI to Detect COVID-19 from Chest CT Scans
- MRI Lung-Imaging Technique Shows Cause of Long-COVID Symptoms
- Chest CT Scans of COVID-19 Patients Could Help Distinguish Between SARS-CoV-2 Variants
- Specialized MRI Detects Lung Abnormalities in Non-Hospitalized Long COVID Patients
- AI Algorithm Identifies Hospitalized Patients at Highest Risk of Dying From COVID-19
- Sweat Sensor Detects Key Biomarkers That Provide Early Warning of COVID-19 and Flu
- Study Assesses Impact of COVID-19 on Ventilation/Perfusion Scintigraphy
- CT Imaging Study Finds Vaccination Reduces Risk of COVID-19 Associated Pulmonary Embolism
- Third Day in Hospital a ‘Tipping Point’ in Severity of COVID-19 Pneumonia
- Longer Interval Between COVID-19 Vaccines Generates Up to Nine Times as Many Antibodies
- AI Model for Monitoring COVID-19 Predicts Mortality Within First 30 Days of Admission
- AI Predicts COVID Prognosis at Near-Expert Level Based Off CT Scans