Organic Electrochemical Transistors functionalized with Protein Minibinders for Sensitive and Specific Detection of SARS‐CoV‐2

Abstract

Abstract There is a need for rapid, sensitive, specific, and low‐cost virus sensors. Recent work has demonstrated that organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) can detect the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) spike protein. Here, a simple and low‐cost approach to the fabrication of OECT devices with excellent stability and unprecedented sensitivity and specificity for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus is demonstrated. The devices rely on the engineered protein minibinder LCB1, which binds strongly to SARS‐CoV‐2. The resulting devices exhibit excellent sensitivity for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus and SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD). These results demonstrate a simple, effective, and low‐cost biomolecular sensor applicable to the real‐time detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus and a general strategy for OECT device design that can be applied for the detection of other pathogenic viruses.

Keywords

• biosensor
• COVID‐19
• OECT
• rapid detection
• SARS‐CoV‐2