Paper‐based point‐of‐care testing for cost‐effective diagnosis of acute flavivirus infections

Abstract

Flavivirus infections are a serious healthcare concern in tropical and subtropical countries. Although well-established laboratory tests can provide early diagnosis of acute dengue or Zika infections, access to these tests is limited in developing countries, presenting an urgent need to develop simple, rapid, and robust diagnostic tools. Microfluidic Paper-based Analytical Devices (μPAD), are typically rapid, cost-effective, user-friendly, and they can be used as diagnostic tools for the diagnosis of these infections at Point of Care settings. Early and prompt diagnosis is crucial to improve patient management and reduce the risk of complications. In the present study, we developed and evaluated a wax-printed paper-based device for the detection of the dengue and Zika non-structural NS1 viral protein in blood and plasma. Experiments have been carried out to increase specificity, while maintaining the required sensitivity. As a consequence, the quality of the raw materials and the washing steps were proved to be crucial. The μPAD was able to detect specifically in 6-8 min 10 ng/mL of protein in various sample types. A prototype for the differential detection of dengue and/or Zika NS1 protein was developed. The reading of the results was simplified by using a dedicated application on a smartphone.

Detection of chikungunya virus‐specific IgM on laser‐cut paper‐based device using pseudo‐particles as capture antigen

“…In previous publications, a new type of POC test, the paper‐based analytical device, called PAD, was successfully developed for DENV NS1 proteins and specific IgM detection in various human biological samples. In both cases, the LOD was close to that obtained with a commercial rapid test …”

“…It has previously been shown that the PAD sensitivity is generally lower than that for ELISA . Here, it has been necessary to concentrate the culture supernatant containing the PPs through a lyophilization step to obtain a specific signal from IgM‐positive samples.…”

“…PAD manufacturing has been intensively explored and described in the literature. Techniques involving laser cutting, wax printing or photolithography are often cited . PADs were originally developed for the separation of plasma from whole blood ‐ notably by using glass‐fiber paper, for the detection of heavy metal ions or for the detection of biomolecules such as uric acid and glucose in various biological samples .…”

Recent advances in lab-on-a-chip technologies for viral diagnosis

“…The device consists of a large area at the top for sample collection either directly from blood or from plasma, followed by coating of the area with specific antibodies against both the DENV and ZIKV's NS1 protein (Bedin et al, 2017) using a custom-made application on a smartphone for results reading. The device consists of a large area at the top for sample collection either directly from blood or from plasma, followed by coating of the area with specific antibodies against both the DENV and ZIKV's NS1 protein (Bedin et al, 2017) using a custom-made application on a smartphone for results reading.…”

“…(C) A flow-free magnetic actuation platform for microfluidic ELISA test (Coarsey et al, 2019). (D) Paper-based microfluidic test for ZIKV NS1 and DENV detection (Bedin et al, 2017).…”