Disposable Biosensor Platform to Enable COVID-19 Testing at Point of Care

A small, printable organic strip has been designed to put the power of accurate, timely diagnosis of COVID-19 in the hands of patients and their primary health practitioners.

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University (Boston, MA, USA) is integrating GBS, Inc.’s (New York, NY, USA) world-first Biosensor Platform technology with a specialized nanomaterial coating. This gel-like coating allows the detection of IgM and/or igG antibodies which indicates a person’s current or previous exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and thus, a potential infection with COVID-19. Further development could result in a chewing-gum sized diagnostic ‘strip’ to be used as a diagnostic tool for COVID-19 testing at point of care.

Through a study, GBS and the Wyss Institute intend to validate the performance and the feasibility of the collaboratively developed electrochemical assay built on the GBS biosensor strip and the Wyss Institute’s eRapid electro-chemical sensing platform for the detection of IgG antibodies. The research team at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute will receive anonymized, de-identified, infected and uninfected human serum and saliva samples of COVID-19 patients, with at least 35 post-pandemic positive samples and 35 negative samples which may include pre-pandemic negative samples from healthy donors.

“We are hopeful that this novel diagnostic sensor technology will be able to make a dent into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by enabling the broad monitoring of immunity to the virus worldwide, including in individuals with active infection, and those who have overcome an infection or received one of the vaccines,” said Wyss Institute Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. who developed eRapid with Wyss Senior Staff Scientist Pawan Jolly, Ph.D.

Related Links:
GBS, Inc.
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University