Mobile Efficient Diagnostics of Infectious Diseases via On‐Chip RT‐qPCR: MEDIC‐PCR

Abstract

The COVID‐19 outbreak has caused public and global health crises. However, the lack of on‐site fast, reliable, sensitive, and low‐cost reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) testing limits early detection, timely isolation, and epidemic prevention and control. Here, the authors report a rapid mobile efficient diagnostics of infectious diseases via on‐chip ‐RT‐quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR): MEDIC‐PCR. First, the authors use a roll‐to‐roll printing process to accomplish low‐cost carbon‐black‐based disposable PCR chips that enable rapid LED‐induced photothermal PCR cycles. The MEDIC‐PCR can perform RT (3 min), and PCR (9 min) steps. Further, the cohort of 89 COVID‐19 and 103 non‐COVID‐19 patients testing is completed by the MEDIC‐PCR to show excellent diagnostic accuracy of 97%, sensitivity of 94%, and specificity of 98%. This MEDIC‐PCR can contribute to the preventive global health in the face of a future pandemic.