Lyophilizing SERS biosensors to enable translation into an easy-to-use assay

• DOI: 10.1039/d4ay01667j
• Publication Date: 2024-09-26T12:01:13Z
• Authors: Lutfun Naher; Steven M. Quarin; Der Vang; Pietro Strobbia

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of point-of-care (POC) pathogen detection. Accurate and accessible diagnostic techniques for virus identification are crucial controlling spread diseases have profound implications our communities global health. Reagentless surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors offer a promising solution POC testing due to their capability function without complex processing steps. However, application in this space is limited by fact that these solution-based assays challenging administer, transport store. To overcome limitations, we employed freeze-drying (lyophilization) process on reagentless SERS investigated improved stability shelf-life. We explored mechanism using different concentrations cryoprotectants. Lyophilized were then tested mix-and-detect fashion adding dry drop sample, consisting saliva spiked with target DNA oligonucleotides relative SARS-CoV-2 variants. In addition, further uncovered how lyophilization benefits DNA-catalysis mechanism. summary, findings indicate substantially enhances practicality usability sensors, contributing translation powerful tool remote areas resources.