New method for early detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new sandwich-based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) could provide an efficient substitute for RT-PCR tests. According to Union Ministry of Science and Technology, it can detect the RBD antigen of the SARS-CoV-2 at an early stage of infection with a visual line of detection (LOD). Popularly used gold standard techniques such as RT-PCR and ELISA are usually time-consuming, require skilled labor, specific equipment and are not feasible for on-site detection. In order to overcome this challenge, a team of researchers from DBT-National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) and Gandhi Medical College developed a rapid and robust platform for early and on-field detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus. A smartphone app (Colour grab) has been used for the qualitative analysis of the test strip. The developed LFIA working on the principle of antigen-antibody interaction holds the potential to be used for detection of SARS-CoV-2 without any requirement of skilled personnel and subsequently reduce the spread of the virus. Officials said that with support from Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), an institution of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) the scientists came together to clone the gene responsible for RBD protein expression, and purify it to generate the antibody (Ab). The generated antibodies were then conjugated with monodisperse gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to be used as a capture probe for colorimetric detection.