Optofluidic analysis system for amplification-free, direct detection of Ebola infection

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 14494
• Main Authors: Cai, H., Parks, J. W., Wall, T. A., Stott, M. A., Stambaugh, A., Alfson, K., Griffiths, A., Mathies, R. A., Carrion, R., Patterson, J. L., Hawkins, A. R., Schmidt, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 25-09-2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/166/985; 639/624/1107/510; 692/53/2421; Ebola virus; Ebolavirus - genetics; Epidemics; Hemorrhage; Hemorrhagic fever; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - diagnosis; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - virology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Infectious diseases; Integration; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; Microfluidics; multidisciplinary; Nucleic acids; Outbreaks; Polymerase chain reaction; Sample preparation; Science; Silicon
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep14494

The massive outbreak of highly lethal Ebola hemorrhagic fever in West Africa illustrates the urgent need for diagnostic instruments that can identify and quantify infections rapidly, accurately and with low complexity. Here, we report on-chip sample preparation, amplification-free detection and quantification of Ebola virus on clinical samples using hybrid optofluidic integration. Sample preparation and target preconcentration are implemented on a PDMS-based microfluidic chip (automaton), followed by single nucleic acid fluorescence detection in liquid-core optical waveguides on a silicon chip in under ten minutes. We demonstrate excellent specificity, a limit of detection of 0.2 pfu/mL and a dynamic range of thirteen orders of magnitude, far outperforming other amplification-free methods. This chip-scale approach and reduced complexity compared to gold standard RT-PCR methods is ideal for portable instruments that can provide immediate diagnosis and continued monitoring of infectious diseases at the point-of-care.