Monoclonal antibody pairs against SARS-CoV-2 for rapid antigen test development.
Background The focus on laboratory-based diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) warrants alternative public health tools such as rapid antigen tests. While there are a number of commercially available antigen tests to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), all...
| Published in: | PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010311 https://doaj.org/article/12e088e16bb54e869cac5b25d96be85e |
| Summary: | Background The focus on laboratory-based diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) warrants alternative public health tools such as rapid antigen tests. While there are a number of commercially available antigen tests to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), all cross-react with the genetically similar SARS-CoV-1 or require an instrument for results interpretation. Methodology/principal findings We developed and validated rapid antigen tests that use pairs of murine-derived monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), along with gold nanoparticles, to detect SARS-CoV-2 with or without cross-reaction to SARS-CoV-1 and other coronaviruses. In this development, we demonstrate a robust antibody screening methodology for the selection of mAb pairs that can recognize SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. Linear epitope mapping of the mAbs helped elucidate SARS-CoV-2 S and N interactions in lateral flow chromatography. A candidate rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 N was validated using nasal swab specimens that were confirmed positive or negative by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Test results were image-captured using a mobile phone and normalized signal pixel intensities were calculated; signal intensities were inversely correlated to RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) value. Conclusion/significance Overall, our results suggest that the rapid antigen test is optimized to detect SARS-CoV-2 N during the acute phase of COVID-19. The rapid antigen tests developed in this study are alternative tools for wide scale public health surveillance of COVID-19. |
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