Identification of Zika virus (ZIVK) infections at point-of-care settings from patient-direct samples is critically needed in limiting the global spread of the virus. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the recommended method for acute infections within the first 2 weeks following the symptomatic signatures of the disease. RT-qPCR is inherently very sensitive. However, it is not suitable for point-of-care settings. Furthermore, the possibility of false-negatives with RT-qPCR is high. There is still a need for development of antigen based ultrasensitive diagnostic test that can be used to detect ZIVK infections prior to sero-conversion. A 1000-100,000 fold improved detection capability could considerably help controlling the spread of the virus by providing significantly longer lead-times before sero-conversion. The primary goal of this R21 proposal is to develop and validate a novel biodetection platform allowing ultrasensitive and multiplexed detection of NS1 proteins at sub-femtomolar concentrations from human serum.
Rising public health concerns with the recent Zika epidemic have led to extensive research at both population and molecular level. A number of diagnostic tools are developed to detect Zika infections based on antibodies. However, there remains an unmet medical need for the development of field-ready diagnostic tools before sero-conversion (immune response).
