Affiliation:
1. Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Connecticut Health Center Farmington Connecticut 06030 USA
2. Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut 06269 USA
3. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Connecticut Health Center Farmington Connecticut 06030 USA
4. Department of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases University of Connecticut Health Center Farmington Connecticut 06030 USA
5. Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Nevada Las Vegas Nevada 89154 USA
Abstract
AbstractSimple, sensitive, and accurate molecular diagnostics are critical for preventing rapid spread of infection and initiating early treatment of diseases. However, current molecular detection methods typically rely on extensive nucleic acid sample preparation and expensive instrumentation. Here, a simple, fully integrated, lab‐in‐a‐magnetofluidic tube (LIAMT) platform is presented for “sample‐to‐result” molecular detection of virus. By leveraging magnetofluidic transport of micro/nano magnetic beads, the LIAMT device integrates viral lysis, nucleic acid extraction, isothermal amplification, and CRISPR detection within a single engineered microcentrifuge tube. To enable point‐of‐care molecular diagnostics, a palm‐sized processor is developed for magnetofluidic separation, nucleic acid amplification, and visual fluorescence detection. The LIAMT platform is applied to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 and HIV viruses, achieving a detection sensitivity of 73.4 and 63.9 copies µL−1, respectively. Its clinical utility is further demonstrated by detecting SARS‐CoV‐2 and HIV in clinical samples. This simple, affordable, and portable LIAMT platform holds promise for rapid and sensitive molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases at the point‐of‐care.
Funder
National Institutes of Health