1. Direct detection of 4-dimensions of SARS-CoV-2: infection (vRNA), infectivity (antigen), binding antibody, and functional neutralizing antibody in saliva
- Author
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Mohammadi, Aida, Chiang, Samantha, Li, Feng, Wei, Fang, Lau, Chang S, Aziz, Mohammad, Ibarrondo, Francisco J, Fulcher, Jennifer A, Yang, Otto O, Chia, David, Kim, Yong, and Wong, David TW
- Subjects
Biological Sciences ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Immunology ,Infectious Diseases ,Emerging Infectious Diseases ,Coronaviruses ,Biotechnology ,4.1 Discovery and preclinical testing of markers and technologies ,Infection ,Humans ,Saliva ,SARS-CoV-2 ,COVID-19 ,Antibodies ,Neutralizing ,RNA ,Viral ,Antibodies ,Viral ,Male ,Female ,Antigens ,Viral ,Adult ,Middle Aged ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Aged - Abstract
We developed a 4-parameter clinical assay using Electric Field Induced Release and Measurement (EFIRM) technology to simultaneously assess SARS-CoV-2 RNA (vRNA), nucleocapsid antigen, host binding (BAb) and neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels from a drop of saliva with performance that equals or surpasses current EUA-approved tests. The vRNA and antigen assays achieved lower limit of detection (LOD) of 100 copies/reaction and 3.5 TCID₅₀/mL, respectively. The vRNA assay differentiated between acutely infected (n = 10) and infection-naïve patients (n = 33) with an AUC of 0.9818, sensitivity of 90%, and specificity of 100%. The antigen assay similarly differentiated these patient populations with an AUC of 1.000. The BAb assay detected BAbs with an LOD of 39 pg/mL and distinguished acutely infected (n = 35), vaccinated with prior infection (n = 13), and vaccinated infection-naïve patients (n = 13) from pre-pandemic (n = 81) with AUC of 0.9481, 1.000, and 0.9962, respectively. The NAb assay detected NAbs with a LOD of 31.6 Unit/mL and differentiated between COVID-19 recovered or vaccinated patients (n = 31) and pre-pandemic controls (n = 60) with an AUC 0.923, sensitivity of 87.10%, and specificity of 86.67%. Our combo assay represents a significant technological advancement to simultaneously address SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunity, and it lays the foundation for tackling potential future pandemics.
- Published
- 2024