Researchers have succeeded in detecting anti-avian influenza virus antibody in blood serum within 20 minutes, using a portable analyzer they have developed to conduct rapid on-site bio tests.
Rapid initial response for a suspected infection and continuous surveillance are essential to mitigate the damage from highly pathogenic, transmittable pathogens such as avian influenza viruses.
The newly developed portable fluorescence polarization analyzer (35 cm wide, 15 cm high, 15 cm long, and weighs 5.5 kg) combines a microfluidic device, an optical system, a liquid crystal, and an image sensor, enabling the rapid analysis of multiple samples.
The method is based on conventional fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) but applies a different measurement mechanism to make the analyzer much smaller and portable.
Liquid crystal molecules are capable of controlling the polarization direction of fluorescent light, while the microfluidic device has a number of microchannels as a measurement vessel.
Samples show different degrees of polarization of light depending on the presence, absence, or the amount of anti-H5 avian influenza virus antibodies.
The group also developed a reagent to detect anti-H5 avian influenza virus antibody, a fluorescein-labeled protein that binds only with the antibody.
The reagent was made by reproducing hemagglutinin (HA) protein fragments, which are expressed on the surface of H5 avian influenza virus, through gene recombination and by labeling fluorescent molecules to the fragments.
The mixture was injected into the microfluidic device and measured with the portable fluorescence polarization analyzer.
Molecular movements of the reagent bound with the antibody will be smaller in the liquid, producing a different degree of polarization from the reagent not bound with the antibody.
The system can detect anti-H5 avian influenza virus antibody with only 2 microliters of serum sample and within 20 minutes.
Reference: “Rapid detection of anti-H5 avian influenza virus antibody by fluorescence polarization immunoassay using a portable fluorescence polarization analyzer” by Keine Nishiyama, Yohei Takeda, Masatoshi Maeki, Akihiko Ishida, Hirofumi Tani, Koji Shigemura, Akihide Hibara, Yutaka Yoneza, Kunitoshi Imai, Haruko Ogawa and Manabu Tokeshi, 21 April 2020, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.
May 20, 2020
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