Nanopore sensors for viral particle quantification: current progress and future prospects

ABSTRACT

Rapid, inexpensive, and laboratory-free diagnostic of viral pathogens is highly critical in controlling viral pandemics. In recent years, nanopore-based sensors have been employed to detect, identify, and classify virus particles. By tracing ionic current containing target molecules across nano-scale pores, nanopore sensors can recognize the target molecules at the single-molecule level. In the case of viruses, they enable discrimination of individual viruses and obtaining important information on the physical and chemical properties of viral particles. Despite classical benchtop virus detection methods, such as amplification techniques (e.g., PCR) or immunological assays (e.g., ELISA), that are mainly laboratory-based, expensive and time-consuming, nanopore-based sensing methods can enable low-cost and real-time point-of-care (PoC) and point-of-need (PoN) monitoring of target viruses. This review discusses the limitations of classical virus detection methods in PoN virus monitoring and then provides a comprehensive overview of nanopore sensing technology and its emerging applications in quantifying virus particles and classifying virus sub-types. Afterward, it discusses the recent progress in the field of nanopore sensing, including integrating nanopore sensors with microfabrication technology, microfluidics and artificial intelligence, which have been demonstrated to be promising in developing the next generation of low-cost and portable biosensors for the sensitive recognition of viruses and emerging pathogens.

KEYWORDS:

• Nanopore sensor
• virus detection
• virus classification
• microfluidics
• biosensors
• artificial intelligence
• resistive pulse sensing

Acknowledgements

The authors are sincerely thankful to the Mitacs-Accelerate Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant and James and Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering for their financial supports to PR and SB.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by MITACS[IT21122 and IT27130] and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [ALLRP 554653 - 20].