Rapid virus diagnostic system using bio-optical sensor and microfluidic sample processing

Respiratory infection diseases caused by viruses threaten public health worldwide. Although many detection techniques have been developed for virus analysis, they still lack sensitivity, simplicity, and rapidity and require separate sample preparation steps. In this study, we report a virus diagnostic system based on a bio-optical sensor combined with microfluidic sample processing for the rapid and sensitive detection of human adenovirus (HAdV). This system was assembled with a microfluidic-based viral DNA extraction technique and a silicon-based bio-optical sensor for systemically virus extraction and detection. First, viral DNA was obtained from HAdV samples using a novel DNA extraction technique, which is based on the integration of a novel non-chaotropic reagent (dimethyl suberimidate) with a disposable thin-film platform in a single microchannel. This platform can extract viral DNA from clinical samples within 30 min and without any instruments. Second, the bio-optical sensor can detect up to 10 copies of HAdV in clinical samples within 30 min. Finally, we validated the clinical utility of the virus diagnostic system in 13 human samples, including 10 samples with HAdV and three samples with another pathogen. This virus diagnostic system offers a rapid (<1 h) and sensitive (100 times higher than qPCR) diagnostic platform for viral DNA analysis with low cost, simplicity, short assay time, and without the need for complex instruments. Therefore, this system enables the fast diagnosis of viral infection to control the spread of the virus and provide appropriate treatment in the field of respiratory infection diseases.