POC Test Based on Quantum Dots Detects Antibody Responses
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 31 Oct 2019 |
|
Image: The Holomics Reader HRDR-300 mobile device was used to measure fluorescent intensity of the quantum dots complex after lateral migration of patient serum (Photo courtesy of Medical College of Georgia).
Point-of-care (POC) assays, which can be performed at or near the site of care with a rapid turnaround time, are pivotal to transforming global disease control efforts, particularly in resource-constrained settings where access to laboratory facilities is limited.
Cysticercosis is an infection caused by the larval form of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. When larval cysts form in the human brain known as neurocysticercosis (NCC), they can result in seizures and other neurologic disorders. NCC affects those living in endemic and non-endemic countries, with an estimated more than 18,000 hospitalizations in the USA between 2003 and 2012.
Medical scientists at the Medical College of Georgia (Athens, GA, USA) and their international colleagues examined 112 positive human sera from patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC) including samples from 18 patients with single viable cyst, 71 patients with two or more viable cysts, and 23 patients with subarachnoid (racemose) cysts. Definitive diagnosis of the subject was established by computed-tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging.
To test the specificity of the assay, the team evaluated a panel of serum samples obtained from 24 patients with other infections and 128 serum samples from persons in the USA and Egypt who had not traveled outside their country, and therefore were presumed negative for cysticercosis. The scientists developed a novel and portable fluorescent sensor that integrates a lateral flow assay with a quantum dot (Qdots) label and a mobile phone reader for detection of specific antibodies in human serum. They evaluated the utility of this assay to test for antibodies to the Taenia solium rT24H antigen.
The team read the lateral flow assay after 30 minutes, using the Holomics Reader HRDR-30. The investigators reported that the assay specificity in the negative panel was 99% (95%–100%) while assay sensitivity was 89% (79%–95%) in NCC patients with two or more viable cysts. The assay has performance characteristics similar to those of traditional platforms for the detection of NCC and shows promise as a mobile phone reader-based point-of-care test for antibody detection. The study was published on October 7, 2019, in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Related Links:
Medical College of Georgia
Cysticercosis is an infection caused by the larval form of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. When larval cysts form in the human brain known as neurocysticercosis (NCC), they can result in seizures and other neurologic disorders. NCC affects those living in endemic and non-endemic countries, with an estimated more than 18,000 hospitalizations in the USA between 2003 and 2012.
Medical scientists at the Medical College of Georgia (Athens, GA, USA) and their international colleagues examined 112 positive human sera from patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC) including samples from 18 patients with single viable cyst, 71 patients with two or more viable cysts, and 23 patients with subarachnoid (racemose) cysts. Definitive diagnosis of the subject was established by computed-tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging.
To test the specificity of the assay, the team evaluated a panel of serum samples obtained from 24 patients with other infections and 128 serum samples from persons in the USA and Egypt who had not traveled outside their country, and therefore were presumed negative for cysticercosis. The scientists developed a novel and portable fluorescent sensor that integrates a lateral flow assay with a quantum dot (Qdots) label and a mobile phone reader for detection of specific antibodies in human serum. They evaluated the utility of this assay to test for antibodies to the Taenia solium rT24H antigen.
The team read the lateral flow assay after 30 minutes, using the Holomics Reader HRDR-30. The investigators reported that the assay specificity in the negative panel was 99% (95%–100%) while assay sensitivity was 89% (79%–95%) in NCC patients with two or more viable cysts. The assay has performance characteristics similar to those of traditional platforms for the detection of NCC and shows promise as a mobile phone reader-based point-of-care test for antibody detection. The study was published on October 7, 2019, in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Related Links:
Medical College of Georgia
New
Gold Member
Nucleic Acid Extractor System
NEOS-96 XT
New
Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic MG, MH, UP/UU
New
Food Allergy Screening ELISA Kit
Allerquant 14G B ELISA
New
Total Laboratory Automation Solution
SATLARS Mini T8
Latest Microbiology News
- RNA-Based Workflow Identifies Active Skin Microbes for Dermatology Research
- Cost-Effective Sampling and Sequencing Workflow Identifies ICU Infection Hotspots
- New Bacterial Target Identified for Early Detection of Noma
- Genomic Analysis Links Emerging Streptococcal Strains to Specific Infections
- Rapid Urine Test Speeds Antibiotic Selection for UTIs
- WHO Endorses Rapid Point-of-Care Testing to Improve TB Detection
- Breath Analysis Approach Offers Rapid Detection of Bacterial Infection
- Study Highlights Accuracy Gaps in Consumer Gut Microbiome Kits
- WHO Recommends Near POC Tests, Tongue Swabs and Sputum Pooling for TB Diagnosis
- New Imaging Approach Could Help Predict Dangerous Gut Infection
- Rapid Sequencing Could Transform Tuberculosis Care
- Blood-Based Viral Signature Identified in Crohn’s Disease
- Hidden Gut Viruses Linked to Colorectal Cancer Risk
- Three-Test Panel Launched for Detection of Liver Fluke Infections
- Rapid Test Promises Faster Answers for Drug-Resistant Infections
- CRISPR-Based Technology Neutralizes Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
Study Finds ApoB Testing More Effective Than LDL for Guiding Lipid Therapy
Routine blood tests that measure low-density lipoprotein (LDL), commonly known as “bad” cholesterol, are widely used to guide lipid-lowering therapy, but they do not always provide a complete picture of... Read more
AI-Enabled POC Test Quantifies Multiple Cardiac Biomarkers
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death, responsible for nearly 20 million deaths each year. Timely triage of myocardial infarction and heart failure hinges on rapid cardiac biomarker measurement,... Read more
Next Generation Automated Analyzers Increase Throughput for Clinical Chemistry and Electrolyte Testing
Clinical laboratories continue to face staffing shortages, limited space, and growing test volumes that pressure chemistry and electrolyte workflows. Maintaining rapid turnaround times increasingly depends... Read more
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
Urine-Based Assay Predicts Severe Dengue Risk Early
Dengue is among the most widespread mosquito-borne infections, yet early risk stratification can be difficult when symptoms overlap with other febrile illnesses. Only about 2% to 5% of patients develop... Read more
CE-Marked Blood Test Enables Monitoring of Neuroinflammation in Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis affects more than 2.9 million people worldwide and requires ongoing evaluation of disease activity to guide care. Routine monitoring often depends on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),... Read more
Ultrasensitive Assay Tracks Resistance Mutations MRD Monitoring
Ultrasensitive circulating tumor DNA assessment is being applied to predict and track response to immunotherapy and to detect relapse across multiple solid tumors. Monitoring resistance mutations such... Read more
Extracellular Vesicle RNA Biomarkers Enable Noninvasive IBD Diagnosis and Monitoring
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing gastrointestinal condition whose incidence is rising in industrialized and newly industrialized countries, with prevalence in early‑industrialized... Read moreHematology
view channel
Routine Blood Test Parameters Link Anemia to Cancer Risk and Mortality
Anemia detected in routine care can signal underlying pathology and is frequently encountered in adults. Because it is defined by hemoglobin levels below the normal range, it is often evaluated with red... Read more
Prognostic Tool Guides Personalized Treatment in Rare Blood Cancer
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a rare blood cancer in which acquired genetic mutations in bone marrow stem cells drive disease. Stem cell transplantation is the only curative option but carries... Read more
Microbiology
view channel
RNA-Based Workflow Identifies Active Skin Microbes for Dermatology Research
Human skin carries diverse microbial communities that influence barrier function and inflammation, yet identifying which organisms are metabolically active has been challenging. DNA-based surveys catalog... Read more
Cost-Effective Sampling and Sequencing Workflow Identifies ICU Infection Hotspots
Intensive care units face persistent threats from hospital-acquired infections, increasingly driven by drug-resistant bacteria. Rapidly pinpointing environmental reservoirs and transmission hotspots remains... Read more
Pathology
view channel
AI Improves Completeness of Complex Cancer Pathology Reports
Oncology teams increasingly rely on pathology reports that integrate histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and rapidly expanding biomarker testing. As patients live longer and undergo repeated analyses... Read more
AI Tool Predicts Chemotherapy Response in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Small cell lung cancer often presents at an extensive stage and progresses rapidly, leaving little time to tailor first-line therapy. Clinicians currently lack biomarkers to guide which patients will benefit... Read more_image.png "Image: Through neoadjuvant therapy combining chemotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for 46 LAGC patients and single-cell transcriptome sequencing, researchers found that tumor cells in the treatment-sensitive group specifically upregulated MHC-II (tumor-specific major histocompatibility complex class II, tsMHC-II) molecules (photo courtesy of Science China Press)")
Tumor-Specific Biomarker Predicts Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Response in Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with China bearing nearly half of the global burden. Only a subset of patients benefit from... Read more
Technology
view channel
Noninvasive Sputum Test Detects Early Lung Cancer
Early detection remains critical for improving outcomes in lung cancer, yet clinicians increasingly encounter indeterminate pulmonary nodules found incidentally or through screening, complicating decision-making.... Read more
New AI Tool Enables Rapid Treatment Selection in Pediatric Leukemia
Children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia face an aggressive disease that remains difficult to treat. Although remission rates have improved, many survivors experience long-term effects from intensive... Read more
Breakthrough Mass Spectrometry Design Could Enable Ultra-Low Abundance Detection
Mass spectrometry is central to identifying and quantifying molecules in complex biological samples, but conventional instruments typically analyze ions sequentially, which can limit detection of rare species.... Read more
Industry
view channel
GRAIL Partners with Epic to Integrate Multi-Cancer Test into EHR
GRAIL’s Galleri multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test is being integrated into Epic’s electronic health record (EHR) platform through Epic Aura. The collaboration is designed to let clinicians at interested... Read more
