Development of Point-Of-Care Testing devices (POCT) for diagnosis of arboviruses applying molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) immobilized on bacterial cellulose

Abstract

In recent years multiple outbreaks of emerging arboviral diseases (dengue, zika and chikungunya, for example) have been documented worldwide, mainly in tropical areas; drawing the attention of global health community due to the potential of large-scale epidemics. Thus, it is interesting the development of rapid, safe and inexpensive detection methods of these diseases. In this context, Lateral Flow Immunoassays (LFI) are Point of Care Tests (POCT) analysis systems popular for clinical analysis and medical diagnosis due to rapid results, high selectivity and stability; besides low cost and easy handling; since the structure of the device does not require the use of sophisticated equipment or specialized laboratories. Therefore, the aim of this project is the development of lateral flow devices using molecularly printed polymers (MIP) as a selective recognition phase (replacing antibodies) for the detection of arboviral diseases. MIP are a classes of polymer materials applied in the identification of different types of molecules with high selectivity, presenting physical and chemical resistance and low cost; and more recently, the possibility of replacing biological materials in immunoassays by MIP has been explored. Thus, the synthesis and optimization of MIP for the specific marker of the viral DNAt will be performed initially. The surface of bacterial cellulose in the lateral flow will be modified to allow the chemical immobilization of the MIP, evaluating and optimizing the deposition of the polymer; with all steps characterized by different techniques. After optimizing the construction of the device, it will be applied, and its efficiency evaluated against the detection capacity of different viral diseases. The present proposal therefore addresses the scientific feasibility of developing the device for diagnosis of viral diseases; considering the technological aspects of the use of classical methodologies of the polymers in a new application and involves the economic aspects about the low cost in the manufacture of the device. (AU)