DNA nanosensor technology empowers ultrasensitive detection of multiple infectious diseases at the point-of-care

Contagious infectious diseases (CIDs) still collectively kill millions of
people every year worldwide. Their impact is witnessed yet again by
the most recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, catching humankind
completely unwary in the 21st century. Once more we got reminded
that correct diagnosis of CIDs is of outmost importance to swiftly
track and isolate those patients at risk of spreading the viruses in the
community. Sadly, the golden standard remains to be complex
polymerase chain reaction (PCR), even in the current pandemic,
which has a turnaround time of 24 hours at best due to dispatching
clinical samples to the centralized laboratories. To tackle this need,
the strategic objective of this project is to develop the next-generation
DNA nanosensors that will offer all essential features for diagnosing
viral-caused CIDs: (1) sensitivity of a PCR without lengthy target
amplification, (2) simultaneous detection of both nucleic acids and
proteins and (3) unrestricted multiplexing capacity with a single
fluorophore. This will be achieved by implementing otherwise
complex digital bioassays in a microfluidic chip, ensuring desired
sensitivity and simplicity for true point-of-care testing. To attain this
ambitious goal, we will exploit in an innovative way DNA enzymes
(DNAzymes), DNA origami and surface nanopatterning, thereby
combining the strengths of functional and structural DNA
nanotechnology.