Ultra-sensitive electrochemiluminescent biosensor for the detection of coronavirus variants Jarid du Plooy, Samantha Douman Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, South Africa The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) aka COVID-19 has plagued the world in recent years amassing to just under 7 million deaths worldwide 1 . This highly infectious virus can spread freely among individuals especially those in developing countries where overcrowding and lack in healthcare are of particular concern. Current commercially available COVID-19 diagnostics focus on costly and time-consuming molecular assays thus limiting the effectiveness for sensitive and early diagnosis 2 . Herein, we developed a novel electrochemiluminescent (ECL) biosensor that was selective and sensitive towards early detection of coronavirus genes with emphasis on coronavirus variants 3 , 4 . Moreover, luminescent nanomaterials were applied as ECL luminophores to act as a signal readout in the biosensor fabrication specifically towards coronavirus variant detection 5 . In addition, the fabricated ECL biosensor was optimized and studies such as the binding affinity, stability, selectivity, and sensitivity was conducted. The proposed ECL biosensor provides a novel approach to real-time coronavirus and related variants monitoring and presents a unique opportunity for gold standard sensing of other viruses and diseases in the future. References 1. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard | WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard With Vaccination Data.” https:// covid19.who.int/?mapFilter=deaths (accessed Apr. 06, 2023). 2. R. Misra, S. Acharya, and N. Sushmitha, “Nanobiosensor-based diagnostic tools in viral infections: Special emphasis on Covid-19,” Rev. Med. Virol. , vol. 32, no. 2, p. e2267, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.1002/RMV.2267. 3. Y. Zhao, J. Huang, L. Zhang, S. Chen, J. Gao, and H. Jiao, “The global transmission of new coronavirus variants,” Environ. Res. , vol. 206, p. 112240, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1016/J.ENVRES.2021.112240. 4. M. O. Aydogdu, J. L. Rohn, N. V. Jafari, F. Brako, S. Homer-Vanniasinkam, and M. Edirisinghe, “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Type 2-Causing Coronavirus: Variants and Preventive Strategies,” Adv. Sci. , vol. 9, no. 11, p. 2104495, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1002/ADVS.202104495. 5. S. O’Connor, L. Dennany, and E. O’Reilly, “Evolution of nanomaterial Electrochemiluminescence luminophores towards biocompatible materials,” Bioelectrochemistry , vol. 149, p. 108286, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1016/J.BIOELECHEM.2022.108286.
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