A high-throughput multiplexed microfluidic device for COVID-19 serology assays

Lab Chip. 2021 Jan 7;21(1):93-104. doi: 10.1039/d0lc01068e. Epub 2020 Dec 15.

Abstract

The applications of serology tests to the virus SARS-CoV-2 are diverse, ranging from diagnosing COVID-19, understanding the humoral response to this disease, and estimating its prevalence in a population, to modeling the course of the pandemic. COVID-19 serology assays will significantly benefit from sensitive and reliable technologies that can process dozens of samples in parallel, thus reducing costs and time; however, they will also benefit from biosensors that can assess antibody reactivities to multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Here, we report a high-throughput microfluidic device that can assess antibody reactivities against four SARS-CoV-2 antigens from up to 50 serum samples in parallel. This semi-automatic platform measures IgG and IgM levels against four SARS-CoV-2 proteins: the spike protein (S), the S1 subunit (S1), the receptor-binding domain (RBD), and the nucleocapsid (N). After assay optimization, we evaluated sera from infected individuals with COVID-19 and a cohort of archival samples from 2018. The assay achieved a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 91%. Nonetheless, both parameters increased to 100% when evaluating sera from individuals in the third week after symptom onset. To further assess our platform's utility, we monitored the antibody titers from 5 COVID-19 patients over a time course of several weeks. Our platform can aid in global efforts to control and understand COVID-19.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Area Under Curve
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis*
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay / instrumentation
  • Immunoassay / methods*
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin M / blood
  • Immunoglobulin M / immunology
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Phosphoproteins / immunology
  • Protein Domains / immunology
  • ROC Curve
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology*
  • SARS-CoV-2 / isolation & purification
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / chemistry
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin M
  • Phosphoproteins
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • nucleocapsid phosphoprotein, SARS-CoV-2
  • spike protein, SARS-CoV-2