LabMedica

Download Mobile App
Recent News Expo Clinical Chem. Molecular Diagnostics Hematology Immunology Microbiology Pathology Technology Industry Focus

Rapid Zika Detection Test Uses Smartphone Technology

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 10 Jul 2018
Print article
Image: Motion-based immunological detection of Zika virus using Platinum (Pt)-Nanomotors and a cell phone (Photo courtesy of Brigham and Women\'s Hospital).
Image: Motion-based immunological detection of Zika virus using Platinum (Pt)-Nanomotors and a cell phone (Photo courtesy of Brigham and Women\'s Hospital).
The Zika virus, which continues to cause microcephaly and other neurological complications in infants whose mothers were infected during pregnancy, remains a public health concern.

Traditional virus diagnostics rely on detecting antibodies in a person's bloodstream that target Zika. However, many closely related viruses, including dengue, can elicit similar antibodies, leading to a high false positive rate for such tests.

Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA; USA) and their colleagues have developed a new way to rapidly and accurately diagnose Zika using mobile health technologies that could potentially be deployed in resource-limited settings. The team used nanotechnology and developed tiny platinum nanomotors that target Zika as well as microbeads that bind the virus. When both components are added to a sample containing Zika, they form a three-dimensional complex that moves in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). This movement can be detected using a smartphone hooked up to an optical device that costs USD 5.

The presence of virus in a testing sample results in the accumulation of platinum (Pt)-nanomotors on the surface of beads, causing their motion in H2O2 solution. Then the virus concentration is detected in correlation with the change in beads motion. The developed nanomotor-based bead-motion cell phone (NBC) system was capable of detecting Zika virus (ZIKV) in samples with virus concentrations as low as 1 particle/μL. The NBC system allowed a highly specific detection of ZIKV in the presence of the closely related dengue virus and other neurotropic viruses, such as herpes simplex virus type 1 and human cytomegalovirus.

Mohamed Shehata Draz, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow and the first author of the study, said, “The NBC system has the potential to be used at the point of care for disease detection in both developed and developing countries. This is an important way to eliminate the social stress related to Zika virus infection and health problems specifically related to newborns.” The study was published online on May 16, 2018, in the journal ACS Nano.

Related Links:
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Magnetic Bead Separation Modules
MAG and HEATMAG
Complement 3 (C3) Test
GPP-100 C3 Kit
Gold Member
ADAMTS-13 Protease Activity Test
ATS-13 Activity Assay

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The 3D printed miniature ionizer is a key component of a mass spectrometer (Photo courtesy of MIT)

3D Printed Point-Of-Care Mass Spectrometer Outperforms State-Of-The-Art Models

Mass spectrometry is a precise technique for identifying the chemical components of a sample and has significant potential for monitoring chronic illness health states, such as measuring hormone levels... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The CAPILLARYS 3 DBS devices have received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance (Photo courtesy of Sebia)

Next Generation Instrument Screens for Hemoglobin Disorders in Newborns

Hemoglobinopathies, the most widespread inherited conditions globally, affect about 7% of the population as carriers, with 2.7% of newborns being born with these conditions. The spectrum of clinical manifestations... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The AI predictive model identifies the most potent cancer killing immune cells for use in immunotherapies (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

AI Predicts Tumor-Killing Cells with High Accuracy

Cellular immunotherapy involves extracting immune cells from a patient's tumor, potentially enhancing their cancer-fighting capabilities through engineering, and then expanding and reintroducing them into the body.... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The T-SPOT.TB test is now paired with the Auto-Pure 2400 liquid handling platform for accurate TB testing (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Integrated Solution Ushers New Era of Automated Tuberculosis Testing

Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for 1.3 million deaths every year, positioning it as one of the top killers globally due to a single infectious agent. In 2022, around 10.6 million people were diagnosed... Read more