Real-world Evaluation of a QCM-based Biosensor for Exhaled Air

Overview

Journal Anal Bioanal Chem

Specialty Chemistry

Date 2024 Jun 26

PMID 38922434

Authors

Augusto Juste-Dolz

William Teixeira

Yeray Pallas-Tamarit

Mario Carballido-Fernandez

Javier Carrascosa

Angela Moran-Porcar

Maria Angeles Redon-Badenas

Maria Gracia Pla-Roses

Maria Dolores Tirado-Balaguer

Maria Jose Remolar-Quintana

Jon Ortiz-Carrera

Ethel Ibanez-Echevarria

Angel Maquieira

David Gimenez-Romero

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The biosensor, named "virusmeter" in this study, integrates quartz crystal microbalance technology with an immune-functionalized chip to distinguish between symptomatic patients with respiratory diseases and healthy individuals by analyzing exhaled air samples. Renowned for its compact design, rapidity, and noninvasive nature, this device yields results within a 5-min timeframe. Evaluated under controlled conditions with 54 hospitalized symptomatic COVID-19 patients and 128 control subjects, the biosensor demonstrated good overall sensitivity (98.15%, 95% CI 90.1-100.0) and specificity (96.87%, 95% CI 92.2-99.1). This proof-of-concept presents an innovative approach with significant potential for leveraging piezoelectric sensors to diagnose respiratory diseases.

References

Abid M, Chhabra S, Buchan B, Graham M, Abedin S, Thapa B . Bronchoalveolar lavage-based COVID-19 testing in patients with cancer. Hematol Oncol Stem Cell Ther. 2020; 14(1):65-70. PMC: 7543702. DOI: 10.1016/j.hemonc.2020.09.002. View

Breshears L, Nguyen B, Mata Robles S, Wu L, Yoon J . Biosensor detection of airborne respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. SLAS Technol. 2022; 27(1):4-17. PMC: 8720388. DOI: 10.1016/j.slast.2021.12.004. View

Tseng C, Li C . Collection efficiencies of aerosol samplers for virus-containing aerosols. J Aerosol Sci. 2020; 36(5):593-607. PMC: 7118727. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaerosci.2004.12.004. View

Grassin-Delyle S, Roquencourt C, Moine P, Saffroy G, Carn S, Heming N . Metabolomics of exhaled breath in critically ill COVID-19 patients: A pilot study. EBioMedicine. 2020; 63:103154. PMC: 7714658. DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.103154. View

Capone S, Tufariello M, Forleo A, Longo V, Giampetruzzi L, Radogna A . Chromatographic analysis of VOC patterns in exhaled breath from smokers and nonsmokers. Biomed Chromatogr. 2017; 32(4). DOI: 10.1002/bmc.4132. View

Leung N, Chu D, Shiu E, Chan K, McDevitt J, Hau B . Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks. Nat Med. 2020; 26(5):676-680. PMC: 8238571. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-0843-2. View

Boan P, Jardine A, Pryce T . Clinical associations of SARS-CoV-2 viral load using the first WHO International Standard for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Pathology. 2022; 54(3):344-350. PMC: 8829673. DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2021.11.006. View

Arnau A . A Review of Interface Electronic Systems for AT-cut Quartz Crystal Microbalance Applications in Liquids. Sensors (Basel). 2016; 8(1):370-411. PMC: 3681153. DOI: 10.3390/s8010370. View

Kim H, An S, Hwang J . High air flow-rate electrostatic sampler for the rapid monitoring of airborne coronavirus and influenza viruses. J Hazard Mater. 2021; 412:125219. PMC: 7825829. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125219. View

10.

Zhang Y, Zhao J, Du T, Zhu Z, Zhang J, Liu Q . A gas sensor array for the simultaneous detection of multiple VOCs. Sci Rep. 2017; 7(1):1960. PMC: 5434030. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02150-z. View

11.

Qin G, Xia J, Zhang Y, Guo L, Chen R, Sang N . Ambient fine particulate matter exposure induces reversible cardiac dysfunction and fibrosis in juvenile and older female mice. Part Fibre Toxicol. 2018; 15(1):27. PMC: 6019275. DOI: 10.1186/s12989-018-0264-2. View

12.

Alassi A, Benammar M, Brett D . Quartz Crystal Microbalance Electronic Interfacing Systems: A Review. Sensors (Basel). 2017; 17(12). PMC: 5750807. DOI: 10.3390/s17122799. View

13.

Ghumra D, Shetty N, McBrearty K, Puthussery J, Sumlin B, Gardiner W . Rapid Direct Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Aerosols in Exhaled Breath at the Point of Care. ACS Sens. 2023; 8(8):3023-3031. PMC: 10463275. DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c00512. View

14.

Roy C, Milton D . Airborne transmission of communicable infection--the elusive pathway. N Engl J Med. 2004; 350(17):1710-2. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp048051. View

15.

Lee J, Jang J, Akin D, Savran C, Bashir R . Real-time detection of airborne viruses on a mass-sensitive device. Appl Phys Lett. 2009; 93(1):13901. PMC: 2682748. DOI: 10.1063/1.2956679. View

16.

Liu K, Zhang C . Volatile organic compounds gas sensor based on quartz crystal microbalance for fruit freshness detection: A review. Food Chem. 2020; 334:127615. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127615. View

17.

Johnson T, Nishida R, Sonpar A, Lin Y, Watson K, Smith S . Viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in droplets and bioaerosols directly captured during breathing, speaking and coughing. Sci Rep. 2022; 12(1):3484. PMC: 8894466. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07301-5. View

18.

Pham Y, Beauchamp J . Breath Biomarkers in Diagnostic Applications. Molecules. 2021; 26(18). PMC: 8468811. DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185514. View

19.

Liu Y, Yan L, Wan L, Xiang T, Le A, Liu J . Viral dynamics in mild and severe cases of COVID-19. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020; 20(6):656-657. PMC: 7158902. DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30232-2. View

20.

do Nascimento N, Juste-Dolz A, Grau-Garcia E, Roman-Ivorra J, Puchades R, Maquieira A . Label-free piezoelectric biosensor for prognosis and diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Biosens Bioelectron. 2016; 90:166-173. DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2016.11.004. View