The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Accurate, yet simple and fast diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) has been crucial during the pandemic. However, viral mutation can increase its infectivity and reduce sensitivity of current methods. To date, existing detection methods must be frequently reassessed and even abandoned if they fail to meet the required standards whenever major mutations occur; in particular, antibody-based Rapid Antigen Tests are vulnerable to this limitation. Accordingly, sensors that are universally responsive to mutations would be highly effective for detecting continuously mutating viruses, including those that may emerge in the future. We propose an intuitive and simple method using structure-switching aptamers to detect SARS-CoV-2, regardless of mutations. The aptamer structure was developed based on an hACE2-mimicking biopolymer that universally binds to SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our results demonstrate successful SARS-CoV-2 variant detection in non-treated samples.