Polymeric LabChip Real-Time PCR as a Point-of-Care-Potential Diagnostic Tool for Rapid Detection of Influenza A/H1N1 Virus in Human Clinical Specimens

Abstract

It is clinically important to be able to detect influenza A/H1N1 virus using a fast, portable, and accurate system that has high specificity and sensitivity. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to develop a highly specific primer set that recognizes only influenza A viral genes and a rapid real-time PCR system that can detect even a single copy of the viral gene. In this study, we developed and validated a novel fluidic chip-type real-time PCR (LabChip real-time PCR) system that is sensitive and specific for the detection of influenza A/H1N1, including the pandemic influenza strain A/H1N1 of 2009. This LabChip real-time PCR system has several remarkable features: (1) It allows rapid quantitative analysis, requiring only 15 min to perform 30 cycles of real-time PCR. (2) It is portable, with a weight of only 5.5 kg. (3) The reaction cost is low, since it uses disposable plastic chips. (4) Its high efficiency is equivalent to that of commercially available tube-type real-time PCR systems. The developed disposable LabChip is an economic, heat-transferable, light-transparent, and easy-to-fabricate polymeric chip compared to conventional silicon- or glass-based labchip. In addition, our LabChip has large surface-to-volume ratios in micro channels that are required for overcoming time consumed for temperature control during real-time PCR. The efficiency of the LabChip real-time PCR system was confirmed using novel primer sets specifically targeted to the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of influenza A/H1N1 and clinical specimens. Eighty-five human clinical swab samples were tested using the LabChip real-time PCR. The results demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity, showing 72 positive and 13 negative cases. These results were identical to those from a tube-type real-time PCR system. This indicates that the novel LabChip real-time PCR may be an ultra-fast, quantitative, point-of-care-potential diagnostic tool for influenza A/H1N1 with a high sensitivity and specificity.

OUP accepted manuscript

“…In the 2009 epidemic, detection of Influenza A virus H1N1 greatly relied on a chip-type real-time PCR instead of the tube-based principle. The portable format of such systems is very convenient during epidemics and outbreaks (Song et al, 2012).…”

Polymeric-Based In Vitro Diagnostic Devices

“…A PC chip device that could rapidly detect influenza A/H1N1 virus in human clinical specimens has been developed [287]. In this approach, PC chips were fabricated using a multilayer injection molding technique in which three plastic layers were used to construct the inlet, outlet, fluidic channel, and reaction chambers with dimensions of approximately 72 × 25 × 1.5 mm.…”

A point‐of‐care diagnostic system to influenza viruses using chip‐based ultra‐fast PCR

“…To construct effective management of influenza infections and virus infections in general, it is essential to develop accurate and timely point‐of‐care (POC) diagnostic tools for use in general practice or at the patient bedside. Recently there are a number of POC tests on the market to diagnose influenza A virus (H1N1) in clinical specimens, unfortunately these tests showed poor sensitivity and specificity, and inconsistent accuracy …”