Origami-paper microfluidic devices for rapid and on-site wastewater surveillance

Abstract

Pathogen detection is of significant importance for both biomedical diagnostics (e.g., infectious disease) and environmental analysis, e.g., pathogen contamination in drinking water), SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater for early warning of pandemic. Here we present a low-cost, deployable paper-based biosensor device for rapid analysis of pathogens for disease diagnosis and public health. We will show the capability of paper-origami devices for field-testing for veterinary diagnosis in India, and for malaria testing in a local primary school in Africa, as well as a recent clinical sample testing of Hepatitis C virus (HCV). This device has been developed to trace the source of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater for early warning of the pandemic, supported by a UK national wastewater epidemiology surveillance programme for COVID-19. It was demonstrated for the field-testing in local quarantine hotel in London for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus and beyond.