The potential of electrochemistry for the detection of coronavirus-induced infections

Abstract

Human coronaviruses (HCoV) are no stranger to the global environment. The etiology of previous outbreaks with reported symptoms of respiratory tract infections was attributed to different coronavirus strains, with the latest global pandemic in 2019 also belonging to the coronavirus family. Timely detection, effective therapeutics and future prevention are stake key holders in the management of coronavirus-induced infections. Apart from the gold standard clinical diagnostics, electrochemical techniques have also demonstrated their great potentials in the detection of different viruses and their correlated antibodies and antigens, showing high sensitivities and selectivities, and faster times for the analysis. This article aims to critically review the multifaceted electrochemical approaches, not only in the development of point-of-care portable devices but also as alternative detection strategies that can be coupled with traditional methods for the detection of various strains of coronaviruses.

Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Detection Using Electrochemical Immunosensor

“…Electrochemical biosensors have previously been used to detect viral antigens from several pathogenic viruses such as Hepatitis, Dengue, Rabies, and Zika [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in biosensor research aiming to identify and quantify SARS-CoV-2 specific antigens [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Seo et al have developed a Field-Effect Transistor-Based (FET) biosensor by coating a graphene surface with a monoclonal antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, obtaining a detection limit of 1 fg/mL in PBS [ 23 ].…”

3D-Printed COVID-19 immunosensors with electronic readout

“…To date, several electrochemical immunosensing strategies ( i.e. , label-free, sandwich, direct/competitive or lateral-flow assays) have been devised for the rapid determination and quantification of different viruses [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , also including the SARS-CoV-2 [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] .…”

Paper-based analytical devices for virus detection: Recent strategies for current and future pandemics

“…Biorecognition elements can be antibodies, aptamer and peptide for viral detection. A variety of electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear-sweep voltammetry (LSV), differential-pulse voltammetry (DPV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), conductometry, potentiometry and amperometry have been used for virus sensing [ 86 , 87 ]. Whereas DPV and LSV are both able to measure small potential and current differences, amperometry can detect the changes in current in response to a redox reaction during biological interaction.…”