Point-of-need detection of pathogen-specific nucleic acid targets using magnetic particle spectroscopy

authored by: Enja Laureen Rösch, Jing Zhong, Aidin Lak, Zhe Liu, Markus Etzkorn, Meinhard Schilling, Frank Ludwig, Thilo Viereck, Birka Lalkens
Abstract: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic stresses the need for widely available diagnostic tests for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in individuals. Due to the limited availability of vaccines, diagnostic assays which are cheap, easy-to-use at the point-of-need, reliable and fast, are currently the only way to control the pandemic situation. Here we present a diagnostic assay for the detection of pathogen-specific nucleic acids based on changes of the magnetic response of magnetic nanoparticles: The target-mediated hybridization of modified nanoparticles leads to an increase in the hydrodynamic radius. This resulting change in the magnetic behaviour in an ac magnetic field can be measured via magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS), providing a viable tool for the accurate detection of target nucleic acids. In this work we show that single stranded DNA can be detected in a concentration-dependent manner by these means. In addition to detecting synthetic DNA with an arbitrary sequence in a concentration down to 500 pM, we show that RNA and SARS-CoV-2-specific DNA as well as saliva as a sample medium can be used for an accurate assay. These proof-of-principle experiments show the potential of MPS based assays for the reliable and fast diagnostics of pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 in a point-of-need fashion without the need of complex sample preparation.
External Organisation(s): Technische Universität Braunschweig
Type: Article
Journal: Biosensors and Bioelectronics
Volume: 192
ISSN: 0956-5663
Publication date: 15.11.2021
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Biotechnology, Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Electrochemistry
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2021.113536 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{a5f9a10b96134e18af8eb68e29dbc788,
title = "Point-of-need detection of pathogen-specific nucleic acid targets using magnetic particle spectroscopy",
abstract = "The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic stresses the need for widely available diagnostic tests for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in individuals. Due to the limited availability of vaccines, diagnostic assays which are cheap, easy-to-use at the point-of-need, reliable and fast, are currently the only way to control the pandemic situation. Here we present a diagnostic assay for the detection of pathogen-specific nucleic acids based on changes of the magnetic response of magnetic nanoparticles: The target-mediated hybridization of modified nanoparticles leads to an increase in the hydrodynamic radius. This resulting change in the magnetic behaviour in an ac magnetic field can be measured via magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS), providing a viable tool for the accurate detection of target nucleic acids. In this work we show that single stranded DNA can be detected in a concentration-dependent manner by these means. In addition to detecting synthetic DNA with an arbitrary sequence in a concentration down to 500 pM, we show that RNA and SARS-CoV-2-specific DNA as well as saliva as a sample medium can be used for an accurate assay. These proof-of-principle experiments show the potential of MPS based assays for the reliable and fast diagnostics of pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 in a point-of-need fashion without the need of complex sample preparation.",
keywords = "Diagnostics, Magnetic nanoparticles, Magnetic particle spectroscopy, Point-of-need, SARS-CoV-2",
author = "R{\"o}sch, {Enja Laureen} and Jing Zhong and Aidin Lak and Zhe Liu and Markus Etzkorn and Meinhard Schilling and Frank Ludwig and Thilo Viereck and Birka Lalkens",
note = "Funding Information: Funding: This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany{\textquoteright}s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers – 390837967, the DFG Research Training Group 1952 Metrology for Complex Nanosystems, ZH 782/1-1 and “Nieders{\"a}chsisches Vorab” through “Quantum- and Nano-Metrology (QUANOMET)” initiative within the projects NL-1 (BL) and NL-2 (TV). ",
year = "2021",
month = nov,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1016/j.bios.2021.113536",
language = "English",
volume = "192",
journal = "Biosensors and Bioelectronics",
issn = "0956-5663",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd.",
}