About the Seminar:

Medical diagnostics account for less than 5% of total medical spending in the US, but the results of those diagnostics influence more than 70% of treatment decisions and further care. Traditional laboratory diagnostics are costly in terms of both money and the time it takes to receive results. Most lab-based methods require expensive equipment, trained personnel, and a controlled laboratory setting, making them inaccessible to many. Home tests, like lateral flow assays (LFAs), are increasing in popularity due to their simplicity and user-friendliness, but often lack the clinical sensitivity required for certain types of diagnostics. This has become more apparent over the last few years during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Many LFAs to diagnose either active infections or immunity to the virus have been approved for emergency use by the FDA; however, some have been cautioned against by the CDC because they lack sensitivity or specificity. The devices that we have designed over the last two years use a combination of microfluidics and enzyme/substrate interactions to improve sensitivity of easy to use, home diagnostics. The capillary-driven immunoassay (CaDI) allows for sequential delivery of reagents and washing steps that would typically be performed in a laboratory-based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Using these devices, we have been able to detect SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in whole human blood and SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein in nasal swab samples. The devices are designed form inexpensive materials, require one or two end-user steps, and results can be read visually by the end-user in 15-20 min.