Engineers developing COVID-19 tests for mass production, mass distribution • News Service • Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa – Supported by more than $900,000 in federal grants, engineers at Iowa State University are using their expertise in graphene-based biosensors to develop better, cheaper, faster and more accessible tests for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The studies are part of two federal programs looking for better ways to test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infections, and, potentially, any future viral outbreaks.

A study, supported by a one-year grant of $664,521 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is looking for effective tests that can be easily scaled up for mass manufacturing.

The other, supported by a two-year, $918,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health ($270,000 of which is for work in the state of Iowa) under the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program , is looking for tests that can be easily distributed to remote or vulnerable populations, such as employees of meat processing plants.

“As soon as the pandemic started, we started thinking about using the sensor platforms we developed to enable easier testing and help fight the pandemic,” said Carmen Gomes, associate professor of mechanical engineering. , study leader and research director. from NanoSpy, Inc., a biosensor startup based in Iowa State University’s research park.

“We’re optimistic that these sensors will work,” said Jonathan Claussen, also an associate professor of mechanical engineering, project leader and scientific director of NanoSpy. “The biggest challenge will be determining the thresholds for making a medical assessment of the infection.”

The engineers’ project began with a $15,000 grant from the Iowa State Office of the Vice President for Research to develop prototype COVID-19 tests. It evolved into developing saliva tests similar to test strips used to monitor glucose levels in people with diabetes. The tests look for the coronavirus’ S1 spike protein.

Claussen said the tests could easily be done at home, in the workplace or in a doctor’s office, without the need for expensive lab instruments. Results will be displayed in approximately 20 minutes.

He expects the total cost of testing to be less than $6.

This buys a very sensitive test. Claussen said he expects it to detect viral concentrations down to trillionths of a mole. (Moles are a standard measurement of 6.02214076 x 1023 particles in a substance, such as atoms or molecules).

A key to the technology is the use of graphene, a supermaterial which is an atom-thick carbon honeycomb and known for its strength, electrical conductivity, flexibility and biocompatibility. Claussen and Gomes used the material to print high-resolution electrodes for electrochemical sensors. They developed the technology for a variety of applications, including making sensors to monitor food freshness and safety.

For the HHS/CDC project, Claussen said researchers will use aerosol jet printing technology to print prototype graphene electrodes for the sensors. The focus will be on finding ways to convert the printing process to the gravure or screen printing techniques used in mass production.

For the NIH project, Gomes said researchers are working on a one-step laser printing process to produce sensors. She said the NIH has been a valuable partner for the project, providing inactivated samples of the virus as well as saliva samples for testing.

She said the tests can be designed to detect variants of the virus using multiple detection strategies for the same sample. And they’ll be built to last a long time and perform in all sorts of conditions – even a summer test facility set up in a tent.

The engineers, after all, used their graphene technology to develop soil sensors designed to be buried in the ground and continue to operate in hot, dry, wet, or freezing ground conditions.

“I’m very excited about these projects,” Gomes said. “I believe our platform can make testing inexpensive, scalable, and available to large segments of the population. People can easily do these tests.