| Rapid detection technologies including surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and nanomaterial based biosensors are emerging as sensitive, specific, and rapid diagnostic tools for the detection of highly pathogenic viruses. This research demonstrates the novel application of SPR and nano-biosensors for Influenza A virus (FLUAV) detection, utilizing specificity of binding between FLUAV hemagglutinin (HA) and host sialic acid (SA) receptors, which determines viral infectivity and transmissibility. In SPR, SA receptors functionalize a gold sensor surface and a microfluidic system passes over recombinant HA, with binding indicated by a measurable increase in mass at the surface. In the nano-biosensor, nanostructured materials serve as both magnetic concentrator and biosensor transducer. Aniline monomer is coated around gamma iron oxide cores and made electrically active by acid doping. The synthesized electrically active polyaniline coated magnetic (EAM) nanoparticles are adapted in an electrochemical biosensor. Biologically modified EAMs immunomagnetically concentrate target HA bound to SA capture probes, and 10-minute electrochemical detection follows application of glycan/HA/EAM complexes to screen printed carbon electrodes. Experimental results indicate that the SPR and biosensor systems are able to detect FLUAV HA at 31.4 nM in 2% mouse serum and 1.4 microM in 10% mouse serum, respectively. |
