Rapid detection of an Ebola biomarker with optical microring resonators

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a highly infectious pathogen, with a case mortality rate as high as 89%. Rapid therapeutic treatments and supportive measures can drastically improve patient outcome; however, the symptoms of EBOV disease (EVD) lack specificity from other endemic diseases. Given the high mortality and significant symptom overlap, there is a critical need for sensitive, rapid diagnostics for EVD. Facile diagnosis of EVD remains a challenge. Here, we describe a rapid and sensitive diagnostic for EVD through microring resonator sensors in conjunction with a unique biomarker of EBOV infection, soluble glycoprotein (sGP). Microring resonator sensors detected sGP in under 40 min with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 1.00 ng/mL in serum. Furthermore, we validated our assay with the detection of sGP in serum from EBOV-infected non-human primates. Our results demonstrate the utility of a high-sensitivity diagnostic platform for detection of sGP for diagnosis of EVD. [Display omitted] •sGP is a unique diagnostic marker of Ebola virus infection•Microring resonators can detect EBOV and SUDV sGP at low ng/mL concentrations•Our sandwich immunoassay design enables the detection of antigens from serum•Multiplex chip has flexible design, technical replicates, and integrated controls Filoviruses, such as Ebola virus, are highly infectious pathogens with high mortality rates. Current diagnostics for filoviruses mainly rely on PCR-based techniques, ELISAs, or lateral flow assays. Disadvantages of these techniques include limited multiplexing capabilities, limited quantitative information, and lengthy assay times. We present a method for the detection of Ebola virus that addresses these concerns, with a total assay time of under 40 min. Qavi et al. describe a method using microring resonator sensors to detect Ebola virus (EBOV) soluble glycoprotein (sGP) in serum. sGP is a promising biomarker for the prognosis of EBOV infection and, coupled with this rapid detection method, could lead to a faster diagnosis.