#PENCIL 2D VIRUS PORTABLE#

Here, we report LEAD (Low-cost Electrochemical Advanced Diagnostic), a technology for rapid COVID-19 diagnosis that uses highly accessible and inexpensive materials. However, these electrochemical, colorimetric, serological, and molecular-based technologies are limited by their relatively high cost (>$10 per test), need for materials and equipment that are not easily accessible, requirement of specialized labor, and the fact that they are time-consuming and not sufficiently rapid.

#PENCIL 2D VIRUS PORTABLE#

In an attempt to overcome such limitations, several portable devices have been developed ( 9 в‡“вЂ“ 11) offering rapid and decentralized clinical diagnosis ( 12 в‡“ в‡“вЂ“ 15). Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop low-cost, sensitive, and rapid tests for the early diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Most rapid tests commercially available for diagnosing COVID-19 are antigen-based and exhibit low sensitivity, which limits their ability to accurately identify asymptomatic individuals ( 6 в‡“вЂ“ 8), thus hindering proper control of viral spread ( 6 в‡“вЂ“ 8). However, this technique is time-intensive, costly, and requires highly skilled workers for operation, thus making it an unsuitable solution for mass testing, especially in developing countries where resources are limited ( 4, 5). RT-PCR has served as the gold-standard test during the pandemic because of its high accuracy and specificity. Different methods using RT-PCR and serology tests have been used to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 in saliva and nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) swab samples ( 3).

Since its onset, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to 3.47 million deaths and costed our economy billions of dollars ( 1, 2). Our low-cost and do-it-yourself technology opens new avenues to facilitate high-frequency testing and access to much-needed diagnostic tests in resource-limited settings and low-income communities. The device presents high reproducibility under all conditions tested and preserves its original sensitivity for 5 d when stored at 4 вЊ in phosphate-buffered saline.

Importantly, LEAD also successfully diagnosed the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 UK variant. No cross-reactivity was detected with other coronavirus or influenza strains. LEAD is highly sensitive toward SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (limit of detection = 229 fgв‹…mL в€’1) and displays an excellent performance profile using clinical saliva (100.0% sensitivity, 100.0% specificity, and 100.0% accuracy) and nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (88.7% sensitivity, 86.0% specificity, and 87.4% accuracy) samples. Here, we describe LEAD (Low-cost Electrochemical Advanced Diagnostic), a diagnostic test that detects severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within 6.5 min and costs $1.50 per unit to produce using easily accessible and commercially available materials. However, current tests are not sufficiently low-cost, rapid, or scalable to enable broad COVID-19 testing.

High-frequency testing has been proposed as a potential solution to prevent outbreaks. COVID-19 has led to over 3.47 million deaths worldwide and continues to devastate primarily middle- and low-income countries.

Pencil 2d virus