Nanostructured bioconjugates applied on immunoassays for Dengue and COVID-19

• Grant number: 21/10911-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2021
• End date: November 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Frank Nelson Crespilho
• Grantee: Beatriz Giacomelli Rodrigues da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/22214-6 - Towards a convergence of technologies: from sensing and biosensing to information visualization and machine learning for data analysis in clinical diagnosis, AP.TEM

Abstract

The preparation of biomolecule-nanostructure bioconjugates is a crucial step in the development of lateral flow immunoassays. Besides the high cost of reagents and biomolecules (e.g., proteins and monoclonal antibodies), the conjugation process between them and the metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) involves several experimental steps that require a lot of time, as in the case of the passive adsorption method from electrostatic attraction, steric effects, and hydrophobic forces. In some specific cases, there is also the necessity of using the directional conjugation method which makes the use of covalent bonds towards producing bioconjugates in colloidal suspension featuring long-term stability. The present research project aims to study different routes of preparation of biomoleculenanostructure bioconjugates for the development of lateral flow immunoassays Applied to the diagnosis of Dengue and COVID-19. For that purpose, we will evaluate the interaction between detection antibodies and 0D metallic nanostructures modified with different types of functional groups, as well as the colloidal stability and specificity of the obtained bioconjugates. Lastly, it is intended to use them in the preparation of lateral flow immunoassays for the recognition of proteins NS1 of Dengue virus and RBD of SARS-CoV-2.(AU)