Cell-Based Platform for Antigen Testing and Its Application for SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Marvin A. Ssemadaali, Sherri L. Newmyer, Harikrishnan Radhakrishnan, Juan Arredondo, Harold S. Javitz, Satya Dandekar, Parijat Bhatnagar
Abstract
Pandemic mitigation requires continuous testing of symptomatic or asymptomatic individuals with rapid turnaround time, and lack of this capability in our community has prolonged pandemic duration leading to obliteration of world economies. The DxCell platform is a cell-based self-replicative antigen test that detects molecular signatures of the target pathogen and can be distributed in small quantities to testing facilities for expansion on site to the desired volume. In this work, we directed this platform to target SARS-CoV-2. Unlike the PCR detection of viral mRNA that requires trained personnel, the DxCell does not require any sample preparation or signal amplification step and introduces an opportunity for a decentralized testing network.