LoCKAmp: lab-on-PCB technology for <3 minute virus genetic detection
Sotirios Papamatthaiou, James Boxall-Clasby, Edward J. A. Douglas, Pawel Jajesniak, Hadrien Peyret, J. Mercer-Chalmers, Varun Kumar Sampath Kumar, George P. Lomonossoff, Julien Reboud, Maisem Laabei, Jonathan M. Cooper, Barbara Kasprzyk‐Hordern, Despina Moschou
Abstract
. 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.