An excitation wavelength-optimized, stable SERS biosensing nanoplatform for analyzing adenoviral and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination efficacy status using tear samples of vaccinated individuals

Biosens Bioelectron. 2022 May 15:204:114079. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114079. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

Abstract

We introduce a label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) biosensing platform equipped with metallic nanostructures that can identify the efficacy of Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZD1222) vaccine in vaccinated individuals using non-invasive tear samples. We confirmed the hypothesis that the tears of people who receive the AZD1222 vaccine may be similar to those of adenovirus epidemic keratoconjunctivitis patients since the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is derived from a replication-deficient ChAdOx1 vector of chimpanzee adenovirus. Additionally, we confirmed the potential of the three markers for estimating the vaccination status via analyzing the signals emanating from antibodies or immunoglobulin G by-product using our label-free, SERS biosensing technique with a high reproducibility (<3% relative standard deviation), femtomole-scale limit of detection (1 × 10-14 M), and high SERS response of >108. Therefore, our label-free SERS biosensing nanoplatforms with long-term storage and robust stability will enable rapid and robust monitoring of the vaccine presence in vaccinated individuals.

Keywords: Label-free SERS biosensing platform; Near- and far-field properties; Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine; Stability and robustness; Tear fluids.

MeSH terms

  • Adenoviridae / genetics
  • Biosensing Techniques* / methods
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • ChAdOx1 nCoV-19
  • Humans
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman / methods
  • Vaccination

Substances

  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • ChAdOx1 nCoV-19