A Novel Dry-Stabilized Whole Blood Microsampling and Protein Extraction Method for Testing of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Titers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a crucial need for rapid, straightforward collection and testing of biological samples. Serological antibody assays can analyze patient blood samples to confirm immune response following mRNA vaccine administration or to verify past exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While blood tests provide vital information for clinical analysis and epidemiology, sample collection is not trivial; this process requires a visit to the doctor's office, a professionally trained phlebotomist to draw several milliliters of blood, processing to yield plasma or serum, and necessitates appropriate cold chain storage to preserve the specimen. A novel whole blood collection kit (truCOLLECT) allows for a lancet-based, decentralized capillary blood collection of metered low volumes and eliminates the need for refrigerated transport and storage through the process of active desiccation. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (total and neutralizing) and nucleocapsid protein antibody titers in plasma samples obtained via venipuncture were compared to antibodies extracted from desiccated whole blood using Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA). Paired plasma versus desiccated blood extracts yields Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.98; 95% CI [0.96, 0.99] for anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies, 0.97; 95% CI [0.95, 0.99] for neutralizing antibodies, and 0.97; 95% CI [0.94, 0.99] for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein antibodies. These data suggest that serology testing using desiccated and stabilized whole blood samples can be a convenient and cost-effective alternative to phlebotomy.

New disc-based technologies for diagnostic and research applications.

The role of genotypic analysis in disease diagnostics and drug response assessment is continually expanding. New genomic discoveries combined with new, novel technologies may provide a greater range of testing capabilities in the near future. We describe the application of nanotechnology, in which DNA microarrays have been placed in a microchannel environment that can be read and analyzed in an optical (CD/DVD) disc drive system. The potential exists to combine molecular and immunological applications together into a rapid, low-cost, high-capacity screening platform. The relevance of this technology is discussed in respect to infectious agent detection, pharmacogenomics, neurogenomics and genetic variations associated with neurologic diseases.