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Zhang W, Cui L, Wang Y, Xie Z, Wei Y, Zhu S, Nawaz M, Mak WC, Ho HP, Gu D, Zeng S. An Integrated ddPCR Lab-on-a-Disc Device for Rapid Screening of Infectious Diseases. BIOSENSORS 2023; 14:2. [PMID: 38275303 PMCID: PMC10813669 DOI: 10.3390/bios14010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) is a powerful amplification technique for absolute quantification of viral nucleic acids. Although commercial ddPCR devices are effective in the lab bench tests, they cannot meet current urgent requirements for on-site and rapid screening for patients. Here, we have developed a portable and fully integrated lab-on-a-disc (LOAD) device for quantitively screening infectious disease agents. Our designed LOAD device has integrated (i) microfluidics chips, (ii) a transparent circulating oil-based heat exchanger, and (iii) an on-disc transmitted-light fluorescent imaging system into one compact and portable box. Thus, droplet generation, PCR thermocycling, and analysis can be achieved in a single LOAD device. This feature is a significant attribute for the current clinical application of disease screening. For this custom-built ddPCR setup, we have first demonstrated the loading and ddPCR amplification ability by using influenza A virus-specific DNA fragments with different concentrations (diluted from the original concentration to 107 times), followed by analyzing the droplets with an external fluorescence microscope as a standard calibration test. The measured DNA concentration is linearly related to the gradient-dilution factor, which validated the precise quantification for the samples. In addition to the calibration tests using DNA fragments, we also employed this ddPCR-LOAD device for clinical samples with different viruses. Infectious samples containing five different viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and adenovirus (ADV), were injected into the device, followed by analyzing the droplets with an external fluorescence microscope with the lowest detected concentration of 20.24 copies/µL. Finally, we demonstrated the proof-of-concept detection of clinical samples of IAV using the on-disc fluorescence imaging system in our fully integrated device, which proves the capability of this device in clinical sample detection. We anticipate that this integrated ddPCR-LOAD device will become a flexible tool for on-site disease detection.
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Grants
- GRF14204621, GRF14207920, GRF14207419, GRF14207121, N_CUHK407/16 Hong Kong Research Grants Council
- No.2021A1515220084, No. 2022B1111020001 the National Key Research and Development Program of China
- ZDSYS20210623092001003, GJHZ20200731095604013, JSGG20220301090003004, No. 201906133000069, No. SGLH20180625171602058, and JCYJ20200109120205924 Shenzhen Science and Technology Foundation
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanyi Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; (W.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.W.); (S.Z.); (M.N.); (W.-C.M.)
| | - Lili Cui
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China;
- Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Medical Laboratory and Molecular Diagnostics, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, China;
| | - Yuye Wang
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Zhenming Xie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; (W.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.W.); (S.Z.); (M.N.); (W.-C.M.)
| | - Yuanyuan Wei
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; (W.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.W.); (S.Z.); (M.N.); (W.-C.M.)
| | - Shaodi Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; (W.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.W.); (S.Z.); (M.N.); (W.-C.M.)
- Light, Nanomaterials & Nanotechnologies (L2n), CNRS-EMR 7004, Université de Technologie de Troyes, 10000 Troyes, France
| | - Mehmood Nawaz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; (W.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.W.); (S.Z.); (M.N.); (W.-C.M.)
| | - Wing-Cheung Mak
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; (W.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.W.); (S.Z.); (M.N.); (W.-C.M.)
| | - Ho-Pui Ho
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; (W.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.W.); (S.Z.); (M.N.); (W.-C.M.)
| | - Dayong Gu
- Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Medical Laboratory and Molecular Diagnostics, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, China;
| | - Shuwen Zeng
- Light, Nanomaterials & Nanotechnologies (L2n), CNRS-EMR 7004, Université de Technologie de Troyes, 10000 Troyes, France
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Qasim F, Ashraf MW, Tayyaba S, Tariq MI, Herrera-May AL. Simulation, Fabrication and Microfiltration Using Dual Anodic Aluminum Oxide Membrane. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:825. [PMID: 37887997 PMCID: PMC10608613 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13100825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic devices have gained subsequent attention due to their controlled manipulation of fluid for various biomedical applications. These devices can be used to study the behavior of fluid under several micrometer ranges within the channel. The major applications are the filtration of fluid, blood filtration and bio-medical analysis. For the filtration of water, as well as other liquids, the micro-filtration based microfluidic devices are considered as potential candidates to fulfill the desired conditions and requirements. The micro pore membrane can be designed and fabricated in such a way that it maximizes the removal of impurities from fluid. The low-cost micro-filtration method has been reported to provide clean fluid for biomedical applications and other purposes. In the work, anodic-aluminum-oxide-based membranes have been fabricated with different pore sizes ranging from 70 to 500 nm. A soft computing technique like fuzzy logic has been used to estimate the filtration parameters. Then, the finite-element-based analysis system software has been used to study the fluid flow through the double membrane. Then, filtration is performed by using a dual membrane and the clogging of the membrane has been studied after different filtration cycles using characterization like a scanning electron microscope. The filtration has been done to purify the contaminated fluid which has impurities like bacteria and protozoans. The membranes have been tested after each cycle to verify the results. The decrease in permeance with respect to the increase in the velocity of the fluid and the permeate volume per unit clearly depicts the removal of containments from the fluid after four and eight cycles of filtration. The results clearly show that the filtration efficiency can be improved by increasing the number of cycles and adding a dual membrane in the micro-fluidic device. The results show the potential of dual anodic aluminum oxide membranes for the effective filtration of fluids for biomedical applications, thereby offering a promising solution to address current challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faheem Qasim
- Department of Electronics, Institute of Physics, GC University Lahore, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Waseem Ashraf
- Department of Electronics, Institute of Physics, GC University Lahore, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Shahzadi Tayyaba
- Department of Information Sciences, Division of Science and Technology, Township Campus, University of Education, Lahore 54000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Imran Tariq
- Department of Computer Science, Superior University Lahore, Lahore 54000, Pakistan;
| | - Agustín L. Herrera-May
- Micro and Nanotechnology Research Center, Universidad Veracruzana, Boca del Río 94294, Veracruz, Mexico;
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Hastie E, Amogan H, Looney D, Mehta SR. Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load kinetics using digital PCR. Heliyon 2023; 9:e20739. [PMID: 37876488 PMCID: PMC10590800 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The relationship between the viral kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 and clinical outcomes remains unclear. Methods A convenience sample of 955 remnant nasopharyngeal swabs collected during routine care between 11/18/20 and 9/26/21 were analyzed using digital PCR and associated clinical data extracted from the medical record. 18 individuals had >1 sample within 30 days of onset of symptoms. Results Paired samples were an average of 6 [range: 0-13] days apart. Four individuals sampled twice on the same day had a median 0.52 log10 viral load difference between samples. Of the remaining, 12 individuals had a decrease in viral load over time, with an average decay of -0.23 log10/day. Conclusions Our study found a similar rate of viral decay to others, but did not find associations between viral kinetics and clinical outcomes. Larger studies would be useful to support the use of this measurement as a surrogate endpoint for therapeutic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Hastie
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Harold Amogan
- Veterans Medical Research Foundation, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92163, USA
| | - David Looney
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, CA, 92093, USA
- San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, CA, 92163, USA
| | - Sanjay R. Mehta
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, CA, 92093, USA
- San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, CA, 92163, USA
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Hastie E, Amogan H, Looney D, Mehta SR. Association between SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load and Patient Symptoms and Clinical Outcomes Using Droplet Digital PCR. Viruses 2023; 15:446. [PMID: 36851660 PMCID: PMC9961727 DOI: 10.3390/v15020446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The association between nasopharyngeal (NP) SARS-CoV-2 viral loads and clinical outcomes remains debated. Here, we examined the factors that might predict the NP viral load and the role of the viral load as a predictor of clinical outcomes. A convenience sample of 955 positive remnant NP swab eluent samples collected during routine care between 18 November 2020 and 26 September 2021 was cataloged and a chart review was performed. For non-duplicate samples with available demographic and clinical data (i.e., non-employees), an aliquot of eluent was sent for a droplet digital PCR quantification of the SARS-CoV-2 viral load. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the clinical predictors of NP viral loads and the predictors of COVID-19-related clinical outcomes. Samples and data from 698 individuals were included in the final analysis. The sample cohort had a mean age of 50 years (range: 19-91); 86.6% were male and 76.3% were unvaccinated. The NP viral load was higher in people with respiratory symptoms (p = 0.0004) and fevers (p = 0.0006). In the predictive models for the clinical outcomes, the NP viral load approached a significance as a predictor for in-hospital mortality. In conclusion, the NP viral load did not appear to be a strong predictor of moderate-to-severe disease in the pre-Delta and Delta phases of the pandemic, but was predictive of symptomatic diseases and approached a significance for in-hospital mortality, providing support to the thesis that early viral control prevents the progression of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Hastie
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA
| | - Harold Amogan
- Veterans Medical Research Foundation, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | - David Looney
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA
- San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Medicine, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | - Sanjay R. Mehta
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA
- San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Medicine, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
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