Motion-Based Immunological Detection of Zika Virus Using Pt-Nanomotors and a Cellphone

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is an emerging pandemic threat to humans that can be fatal in newborns. Advances in digital health systems and nanoparticles can facilitate the development of sensitive and portable detection technologies for timely management of emerging viral infections. Here we report a nanomotor-based bead-motion cellphone (NBC) system for the immunological detection of ZIKV. 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 HO solution. Then the virus concentration is detected in correlation with the change in beads motion. The developed NBC system was capable of detecting 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. The NBC platform technology has the potential to be used in the development of point-of-care diagnostics for pathogen detection and disease management in developed and developing countries.

DNA engineered micromotors powered by metal nanoparticles for motion based cellphone diagnostics

“…Such significant cellphone adoption particularly in resource-poor settings combined with its powerful computing ability and built-in sensors present a promising potential in developing mobile health (mhealth) tools and surveillance diagnostics that can help us in closing the gap in infectious disease management through providing appropriate diagnostic solutions 11 – 13 . The advances in telecommunications combined with the recent changes in consumer behavior on wearable sensors and self-testing have led to the development of a series of mhealth diagnostic and surveillance technologies for disease detection and infection management 14 – 21 .…”

Updating Zika Diagnostic Methods: The Point-of-Care Approach

“…The creation of such microchips is an approach to the development of PoC devices. Draz et al have printed electrodes on a hybrid surface of paper and plastic for the detection of viral particles 26 . Impedance measurement detects the presence of ZIKV in urine, where the virus is extracted from the sample with magnetic particles coated with antibodies against E protein.…”

Micro/Nanomachines: from Functionalization to Sensing and Removal

“…Draz et al developed a bead‐motion cellphone system based on modified Pt nanomotors for the immunological detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) (Figure h). The Pt nanomotors conjugated with anti‐Zika virus monoclonal antibody (anti‐ZIKV mAb) specifically targeted the ZIKV on the surface of 3 µm polystyrene (PS) beads, forming a 3D immunocomplex that moves by catalyzing the decomposition of H 2 O 2 . The accumulation of Pt nanomotors on the surface of the beads induced the motion of the formed immunocomplexes (beads–virus–motors), whose average velocity could be measured on the surface of a single‐channel microchip (Figure i).…”

“…Pt‐nanomotor‐based immunological detection of Zika virus: h) schematic of the operation using the nanomotor‐based cellphone system for virus detection; i) trajectory images of the motion of nanomotor‐based beads in the control sample and samples with different concentrations of Zika virus. Panels (h) to (i) reproduced with permission . Copyright 2018, American Chemical Society.…”