Large-scale COVID-19 Population Screening

Infectious diseases pose a threat to the life of individuals worldwide. The pandemic has highlighted the need to develop an innovative and cost- effective large population-based screening methodology. The investigators propose a two-fold improvement barcode-labeled testing strategy specifically for pooled samples. This platform combines isothermal amplification and real-time electrochemical detection; electroactive modified loop probes will be used in the amplification step for barcode readout. This method enables four samples pooled detection at the same time. This platform will be integrated into a disposable microfluidic chip that allows minimal human intervention during the process to realize a massively parallel screening platform for infectious disease pathogens. Objectives 1. To develop a sensing method for concurrent electrochemical-tag coded isothermal amplification and real-time electrochemical detection; 2. To design a molecular strategy to barcode four individual samples so that they can be pooled together and to simultaneously amplify and identify a positive individual, if any, from the pooled sample. 3. To fabricate a microfluidic device integrating the sample processor and barcoding module with the nucleic acid amplification and detection step for large-scale population screening of up to 100 individuals. 4. To validate the performance of the prototype using clinical specimens and benchmark it against the detection data from commercially available testing equipment.