New biosensors can quickly detect new coronavirus proteins and antibodies

Currently, most medical laboratories rely primarily on retrovirus PCR (RT-PCR) technology to diagnose new coronavirus infections.
PCR technology can amplify the virus's genetic material so that it can be detected.
but the technology requires specialized personnel and equipment, and supply chain shortages have led to severe under-testing capabilities in many countries and regions.
In order to detect new coronavirus directly in patient samples without gene amplification, a team led by Professor David Baker, director of the Protein Design Institute at the University of Washington School of Medicine, used computers to design a biosensors that identify and bind specific molecules on the surface of a virus and then glow through a biochemical reaction.
antibody tests can reveal whether someone has previously been infected with the new coronavirus, which scientists use to track the spread of new coronary pneumonia, but it also requires sophisticated laboratory equipment.
, the team also invented another biosensors that glow when mixed with new coronavirus antibodies.
, the sensor does not react to other antibodies in the blood, including those against other viruses, which is important to avoid false positives. "We've shown in the lab that these new sensors can easily detect viral proteins or antibodies in simulated nasal fluid or serum samples, and then we'll see if they can be reliably used in diagnostic environments,"
Baker said. In addition to being used to detect new coronavirus, these biosensors can be used to detect other human proteins, such as Her2 (biomarkers and therapeutic targets for certain breast cancers) and Bcl-2 (clinically significant in lymphoma and other cancers), as well as bacterial toxins and antibody viruses targeting hepatitis B, the
team said.
(Reporter Liu Xia)