A Rapid and Quantitative Serum Test for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies with Portable Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensing

Abstract

We report a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor detecting nucleocapsid antibodies specific against the novel coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) in undiluted human serum. When exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the immune system responds by expressing antibodies at levels that can be detected and monitored to identify the patient population immunized against SARD-CoV-2 and support efforts to deploy a vaccine strategically. A SPR sensor coated with a peptide monolayer and functionalized with SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid recombinant protein detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the nanomolar range. This bioassay was performed on a portable SPR instrument in undiluted human serum and results were collected within 15 minutes of sample/sensor contact. This strategy paves the way to point-of-care and label-free rapid testing for antibodies.