LoCKAmp: lab-on-PCB technology for <3 minute virus genetic detection

Papamatthaiou, S. et al. (2023) LoCKAmp: lab-on-PCB technology for <3 minute virus genetic detection. Lab on a Chip, 23(20), pp. 4400-4412. (doi: 10.1039/d3lc00441d) (PMID:37740394) (PMCID:PMC10563828)

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 outbreak highlighted the need for lab-on-chip diagnostic technology fit for real-life deployment in the field. Existing bottlenecks in multistep analytical microsystem integration and upscalable, standardized fabrication techniques delayed the large-scale deployment of lab-on-chip solutions during the outbreak, throughout a global diagnostic test shortage. This study presents a technology that has the potential to address these issues by redeploying and repurposing the ubiquitous printed circuit board (PCB) technology and manufacturing infrastructure. We demonstrate the first commercially manufactured, miniaturised lab-on-PCB device for loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) genetic detection of SARS-CoV-2. The system incorporates a mass-manufactured, continuous-flow PCB chip with ultra-low cost fluorescent detection circuitry, rendering it the only continuous-flow μLAMP platform with off-the-shelf optical detection components. Ultrafast, SARS-CoV-2 RNA amplification in wastewater samples was demonstrated within 2 min analysis, at concentrations as low as 17 gc μL−1. We further demonstrate our device operation by detecting SARS-CoV-2 in 20 human nasopharyngeal swab samples, without the need for any RNA extraction or purification. This renders the presented miniaturised nucleic-acid amplification-based diagnostic test the fastest reported SARS-CoV-2 genetic detection platform, in a practical implementation suitable for deployment in the field. This technology can be readily extended to the detection of alternative pathogens or genetic targets for a very broad range of applications and matrices. LoCKAmp lab-on-PCB chips are currently mass-manufactured in a commercial, ISO-compliant PCB factory, at a small-scale production cost of £2.50 per chip. Thus, with this work, we demonstrate a high technology-readiness-level lab-on-chip-based genetic detection system, successfully benchmarked against standard analytical techniques both for wastewater and nasopharyngeal swab SARS-CoV-2 detection.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The authors at Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath acknowledge financial support from Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) QR – UKRI and EPSRC IAA. At the John Innes Centre, this work was supported by the United Kingdom Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Grant BB/ V009087/1, the Institute Strategic Programme Grant “Molecules from Nature—Enhanced Research Capacity” (BBS/ E/J/000PR9794), and the John Innes Foundation. The authors at Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath acknowledge financial support from the Academy of Medical Sciences (SBF006\1023).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Jajesniak, Dr Pawel and Cooper, Professor Jonathan and Reboud, Professor Julien

Creator Roles

Jajesniak, P.: Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing – review and editing
Reboud, J.: Resources, Supervision, Writing – review and editing
Cooper, J.: Resources, Supervision, Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Papamatthaiou, S., Boxall-Clasby, J., Douglas, E. J. A., Jajesniak, P., Peyret, H., Mercer-Chalmers, J., Kumar, V. K. S., Lomonossoff, G. P., Reboud, J., Laabei, M., Cooper, J. M., Kasprzyk-Hordern, B., and Moschou, D.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: Lab on a Chip
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• ISSN: 1473-0197
• ISSN (Online): 1473-0189
• Published Online: 07 September 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2023
• First Published: First published in Lab on a Chip 23(20):4400-4412
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license