PORTABLE AND FAST SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE POINT-OF-CARE TEST FOR COVID-19

The ongoing pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections has led to more than 7.031.249 cases and 403.112 deaths globally as of June 8, 2020. Although most infections are self-limited, about 15% of infected adults develop severe pneumonia that requires treatment with supplemental oxygen and an additional 5% progress to critical illness with hypoxaemic respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiorgan failure that necessitates ventilatory support, often for several weeks. Worldwide, infections and death from SAR-CoV-2 continue during June with more than 110.000 new cases every day despite lockdown in Europe and oversees. What started as a temporary sanitary issue, has morphed into a more permanent and long-lasting pan epidemic outbreak. One efficient manner to limit COVID-19 spreading and an adequate mean of better managing the COVID-19 outbreak is through unrestrained availability of fast, efficient, accurate and cost-effective point-of-care tests (POCT). Here we propose C-POCT-S, a rapid (<30 min), sensitive (200 vps/mL), selective (SARS-CoV-2), and inexpensive ( < 20 Euros) solution to address this medical need. C-POCT-S is based on a combination of several technologies such as the use of COVID-19 specific nanobodies (VHH), magnetic nanoparticles with high magnetic strength and a VHH modified interfaces, all integrated in a a hand-held surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based POC test (C-POCT-S) for the screening of the presence/absence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in nasal and salvia samples. The aim of this project is to complete product optimization, performance validation in a clinical setting and manufacturing quality control for C-POCT-S and completion of its technical file, to enable declaration of conformity and affixing of CE mark.