Rapid and low-cost detection of human corona virus using MEMS ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

Abstract

The conventional methods used for the diagnostics of viral infection are either expensive and time-consuming or not accurate enough and dependent on consumable reagents. In the presence of pandemics, a fast and reagent-free solution is needed for mass screening. Recently, the diagnosis of viral infections using infrared spectroscopy has been reported as a fast and low-cost method. In this work a fast and low-cost solution for corona viral detection using infrared spectroscopy based on a compact micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device and artificial intelligence (AI) suitable for mass deployment is presented. Among the different variants of the corona virus that can infect people, 229E is used in this study due to its low pathogeny. The MEMS ATR-FTIR device employs a 6 reflections ZnSe crystal interface working in the spectral range of 2200-7000 cm-1. The virus was propagated and maintained in a medium for long enough time then cell supernatant was collected and centrifuged. The supernatant was then transferred and titrated using plaque titration assay. Positive virus samples were prepared with a concentration of 105 PFU/mL. Positive and negative control samples were applied on the crystal surface, dried using a heating lamp and the spectrum was captured. Principal component analysis and logistic regression were used as simple AI techniques. A sensitivity of about 90 % and a specificity of about 80 % were obtained demonstrating the potential detection of the virus based on the MEMS FTIR device.

Multi-scale modelling and experimental measurements of absorption enhancements of biological samples using HgTe colloidal QDs

“…The detection of numerous diseases in plants can also be accomplished using spectroscopy [5], [6]. Furthermore, spectroscopy has been employed to identify significant diseases such as viral infections, including Zika virus [7], malaria [8] , and COVID-19 [9], [10], [11]. Many viruses could be detected using Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy in the Mid-InfraRed (MIR) range.…”

Modeling of photonic MEMS Michelson interferometers comprising curved micromirrors under partially coherent light excitation

“…Miniaturized spectrometers are becoming more and more important in various everyday applications [1]. These spectrometers are widely used and their potential is being explored for material analysis in numerous fields including gas sensing [2,3], biochemistry and healthcare applications [4,5], as well as food and feed quality control [6]. Their widespread use is due to their capability to provide satisfactory on-site measurements owing to their small size and good overall performance [7].…”

Single Infrared Spectrum Enables Simultaneous Identification of (Bio)Chemical Nature and Particle Size of Microorganisms and Synthetic Microplastic Beads

“…This work paves the way for the rapid point-of-care detection of some diseases (caused by yeast) with minimal sample preparation and minimal requirement for lab equipment and trained personnel, especially if combined with miniaturized or portable spectrometers. 35,36 It also can help for the identification of pollen species from the FTIR spectra without the need for an additional optical microscope measurement step, 37,38 which helps the fast identification of pollen, which is required by many fields such as climate research and allergology. 39 This work is an extension of our preliminary work presented at an international conference, 40 where we extend the preliminary work presented by applying the method to living cells instead of only microplastic particles, and we also extend the theoretical analysis by studying the effect of particle size dispersion, as well as the effect of changing the particle size on the applicability of the method.…”