Aptasensors for viral diagnostics

Abstract

Novel viral diagnostic tools need to be affordable, fast, accurate and easy to use with sensitivity and specificity equivalent or superior to current standards. At present, viral diagnostics are based on direct detection of viral components or indirect detection by measuring antibodies generated in response to viral infection. While sensitivity of detection and quantification are still important challenges, we expect major advances from new assay formats and synthetic binding molecules, such as aptamers. Compared to traditional antibody-based detection, aptamers could provide faster adaptation to continuously evolving virus strains and higher discriminating capacity between specific virus serotypes. Aptamers are very stable and easily modifiable, so are ideal molecules for detection and chemical sensing applications. Here, we review the use of aptasensors for detection of viral pathogens and consider the feasibility of aptasensors to become standard devices for point-of-care diagnostics of viruses.

Keywords: Antibody; Aptamer; Assay; Detection; Diagnostics; Pathogen; Point of care; Sensor; Serotype; Virus.

Fig. 1

Trends in the analytical applications of aptamers for virus detection (vir* AND aptamer AND detect*) [Black] and in the broader field of aptamers selected for viruses (vir* AND aptamer) [Grey] according to Web of Science (on 3 April 2015). Columns denote yearly publications, lines represent their cumulative number starting from 1 January 2005].

Fig. 2

Virus anatomy.

Fig. 3

Aptamer selection by GO-SELEX.

Fig. 4

The design-build-test iterative process of aptasensor-based point-of-care testing (POCT).