Oliver Strohmeier

Development of a Panel of Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assays for Detection of Biothreat Agents

ABSTRACT Syndromic panels for infectious disease have been suggested to be of value in point-of-care diagnostics for developing countries and for biodefense. To test the performance of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assays, we developed a panel of 10 RPAs for biothreat agents. The panel included RPAs for Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis, variola virus, and reverse transcriptase RPA (RT-RPA) assays for Rift Valley fever virus, Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus. Their analytical sensitivities ranged from 16 to 21 molecules detected (probit analysis) for the majority of RPA and RT-RPA assays. A magnetic bead-based total nucleic acid extraction method was combined with the RPAs and tested using inactivated whole organisms spiked into plasma. The RPA showed comparable sensitivities to real-time RCR assays in these extracts. The run times of the assays at 42°C ranged from 6 to 10 min, and they showed no cross-detection of any of the target genomes of the panel nor of the human genome. The RPAs therefore seem suitable for the implementation of syndromic panels onto microfluidic platforms.

Rapid molecular assays for the detection of yellow Fever virus in low-resource settings

Background Yellow fever (YF) is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The causative agent, the yellow fever virus (YFV), is found in tropical and subtropical areas of South America and Africa. Although a vaccine is available since the 1930s, YF still causes thousands of deaths and several outbreaks have recently occurred in Africa. Therefore, rapid and reliable diagnostic methods easy to perform in low-resources settings could have a major impact on early detection of outbreaks and implementation of appropriate response strategies such as vaccination and/or vector control. Methodology The aim of this study was to develop a YFV nucleic acid detection method applicable in outbreak investigations and surveillance studies in low-resource and field settings. The method should be simple, robust, rapid and reliable. Therefore, we adopted an isothermal approach and developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay which can be performed with a small portable instrument and easy-to-use lyophilized reagents. The assay was developed in three different formats (real-time with or without microfluidic semi-automated system and lateral-flow assay) to evaluate their application for different purposes. Analytical specificity and sensitivity were evaluated with a wide panel of viruses and serial dilutions of YFV RNA. Mosquito pools and spiked human plasma samples were also tested for assay validation. Finally, real-time RPA in portable format was tested under field conditions in Senegal. Conclusion/Significance The assay was able to detect 20 different YFV strains and demonstrated no cross-reactions with closely related viruses. The RPA assay proved to be a robust, portable method with a low detection limit (<21 genome equivalent copies per reaction) and rapid processing time (<20 min). Results from real-time RPA field testing were comparable to results obtained in the laboratory, thus confirming our method is suitable for YFV detection in low-resource settings.

Carbon electrodes for direct electron transfer type laccase cathodes investigated by current density-cathode potential behavior

Direct electron transfer from carbon electrodes to adsorbed laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) from Trametes versicolor is widely used to enable mediatorless enzymatic biofuel cell cathodes. However, data published so far are poorly comparable in terms of oxygen reduction performance. We thus present a comparative characterization of carbon-based electrode materials as cathode in half-cell configuration, employing adsorbed laccase as oxygen reduction catalyst. Open circuit potentials and performances were significantly increased by laccase adsorption, indicating the occurrence of direct electron transfer. At a potential of 0.5 V vs. SCE volume-normalized current densities of approximately 10, 37, 40, 70, and 77 μA cm(-3) were measured for cathodes nanotubes, carbon nanofibers and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, respectively. In addition, we could show that both, carbon nanotubes and porous carbon tubes exhibit dramatically lower current densities compared to graphite felt and carbon nanofibers when normalized to BET surface instead of electrode volume. Further work will be required to clarify whether this stems from material-dependent interaction of enzyme and electrode surface or constricted enzyme adsorption due to agglomeration of the nanotubes. In case of the latter, an improved dispersion of the nanotubes upon electrode fabrication may greatly enhance their performance.

Automated nucleic acid extraction from whole blood, B. subtilis, E. coli, and Rift Valley fever virus on a centrifugal microfluidic LabDisk

We present total nucleic acid extraction from whole blood, Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, Gram-negative Escherichia coli, and Rift Valley fever RNA virus on a low-cost, centrifugal microfluidic LabDisk cartridge processed in a light-weight (<2 kg) and portable processing device. Compared to earlier work on disk based centrifugal microfluidics, this includes the following advances: combined lysis and nucleic acid purification on one cartridge and handling of sample volumes as large as 200 μL. The presented system has been validated for logarithmic dilutions of aforementioned bacteria and viruses from various sample matrices including blood plasma and culture media and extraction of human DNA from whole blood. Recovered DNA and RNA concentrations in the eluate were characterized by quantitative PCR to: 58.2–98.5%, 45.3–102.1% and 29.5–34.2% versus a manual reference for Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Rift Valley fever virus, respectively. For extraction of human DNA from whole blood, similar results for on-disk ((10.1 ± 7.6) × 104 DNA copies) and manual reference extraction ((10.2 ± 6.3) × 104 DNA copies) could be achieved. Eluates from on-disk extraction show slightly increased ethanol concentrations of 4.1 ± 0.3% to 5.5 ± 0.2% compared to a manual reference (2.0 ± 0.5% to 3.6 ± 0.6%). The complete process chain for sample preparation is automatically performed within ∼30 minutes, including ∼15 minutes lysis time. It is amenable to concatenation with downstream modules for multiplex nucleic acid amplification as recently demonstrated for panel testing of various pathogens at the point of care.

Real-time PCR based detection of a panel of food-borne pathogens on a centrifugal microfluidic “LabDisk” with on-disk quality controls and standards for quantification

We present an implementation of parallel, real-time PCR based detection of up to 6 different food-borne pathogens on our centrifugal microfluidic “LabDisk” platform. It has the following two novelties: (1) a microfluidic network for integration of positive controls (PCs), no-template controls (NTCs), and standards (STDs) into a centrifugal microfluidic PCR cartridge; (2) a microfluidic unit operation for sequential aliquoting of two liquids of highly different wetting characteristics into fourteen aliquots with 5.8 μL ± 0.3 μL (PCR mastermix) and 6.1 ± 0.8 μL (elution buffer), respectively. The presented “LabDisk” implementation can be used either in a qualitative or quantitative operation mode depending on the prestorage scheme of reagents. In qualitative mode, two DNA samples can be tested per cartridge for the presence of 6 food pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, EHEC, Staphylococcus aureus, Citrobacter freundii and Campylobacter jejuni), including PCs and NTCs. This was proofed for DNA concentrations of 10 pg, 1 pg, and 0.1 pg per pathogen. In quantitative mode, one DNA sample per cartridge can be analysed quantitatively for the presence of two pathogens by prestored and on-disk generated standard curves. 50 pg and 500 pg L. monocytogenes genomic DNA samples have been quantified to 83 ± 17 pg and 540 ± 116 pg DNA, respectively, while 50 pg and 500 pg S. typhimurium DNA samples have been quantified to 48 ± 4 pg and 643 ± 211 pg DNA. In both operation modes, the microfluidic routing of the liquids was done by spinning the cartridge on a low-cost centrifugal test rig. For real-time PCR amplification, the cartridge was then transferred into a commercially available thermocycler. The nucleic acid amplification and detection as presented here is fully compatible with upstream DNA extraction as presented previously (Strohmeier et al., Lab Chip, 2013, 13, 146-155). Concatenation of both fluidic structures will enable fully integrated sample-to-answer testing of food-borne pathogens in the future.

Adhesive bonding of microfluidic chips: influence of process parameters

In this note, the influence of process parameters for adhesive bonding as a versatile approach for the sealing of polymer microfluidic chips is investigated. Specifically, a process chain comprising pre-processing, adhesive transfer as well as post-processing is presented and parameter recommendations are provided. As a device for adhesive transfer, a modified laminator is utilized which transfers thin layers of adhesive onto the chip surface, only via a silicone roll. Using this device and a high temperature (Tg > 100 °C) epoxy adhesive, adhesive layers in the range of 2–4 µm can be reproducibly transferred (CV < 4%). For best bonding results, it is recommended to provide 2.5 µm thin layers of adhesive in combination with a subsequent evacuation step at 10 mbar for 3 h. Further, it is proposed to integrate capture channels near large, featureless areas to compensate for variations in processing and thus prevent clogging of channels.

Centrifugo-thermopneumatic fluid control for valving and aliquoting applied to multiplex real-time PCR on off-the-shelf centrifugal thermocycler

We introduce microfluidic automation of geometrically multiplexed real-time PCR to off-the-shelf Rotor-Gene Q thermocyclers (RGQ, QIAGEN GmbH, Hilden, Germany). For centrifugal fluid control the RGQ provides low and constant rotation of 400 rpm, only. Compatibility to this very limited flexibility of centrifugal actuation is achieved by using thermal gas compression and expansion for valving and aliquoting. In contrast to existing thermo-pneumatic actuation, centrifugo-thermopneumatic (CTP) fluid control employs the induced change of partial vapor pressure by global temperature control as actuation parameter for two new unit operations: CTP siphon valving and CTP two-stage aliquoting. CTP siphon valving was demonstrated to reliably transfer sample liquid in all cases (n = 35) and CTP two-step aliquoting transfers metered aliquots of 18.2 ± 1.2 μl (CV 6.7%, n = 8) into reaction cavities within 5 s (n = 24). Thermal characteristics of CTP two-stage aliquoting were found to be in good agreement with an introduced analytical model (R2 = 0.9876, n = 3). A microfluidic disk segment comprising both new unit operations was used for automation of real-time PCR amplification of Escherichia coli DNA. Required primers and probes were pre-stored in the reaction cavities and a comparison with reference reactions in conventional PCR tubes yielded the same PCR efficiency, repeatability, and reproducibility.

The LabDisk – A Fully Automated Centrifugal Lab-on-a-Chip System for the Detection of Biological Threats

The world’s growing mobility, mass tourism and the threat of terrorism increase the risk of a fast spread of infectious microorganisms and toxins. Therefore, there is a growing demand for small, mobile, easy to use diagnostic systems for automated detection of those agents directly at the point of need. However, the state of the art for pathogen detection requires complex stationary devices and trained personal limiting the capability for a rapid and effective response. We present an alternative solution to this demand: the LabDisk platform, a portable fully automated Lab-on-a-Chip system which performs complex biochemical analyses at the point of need. We applied the LabDisk platform to an automated nucleic acid analysis for the detection of Bacillus anthracis and Francisella tularensis and to an immunoassay for the detection of ricin.

Automated sample-to-answer nucleic acid testing with frequency controlled reagent release from cartridge integrated stickpacks

For the first time we demonstrate an automated centrifugal Lab-on-a-Disk system for sample-to-answer point-of-care testing of multiple nucleic acid targets that features pre-storage of all required liquid reagents for nucleic acid extraction as well as primers and probes and magnetic beads. Highly wetting and thus hardly controllable liquid buffers were pre-stored in stickpacks with frequency controlled on-demand reagent release enabling automated addition of binding buffer after sample lysis. The self-contained Lab-on-a-Disk system automates all necessary assay steps for PCR-based pathogen detection: RNA extraction, aliquoting of the RNA and geometrically multiplexed real-time RT-PCR. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrated detection of as little as 15 plaque forming units (pfu) of RNA bacteriophage MS2 in a 200 μL sample in 3.5 hours.

Automated and miniaturized detection of biological threats with a centrifugal microfluidic system

The worlds growing mobility, mass tourism, and the threat of terrorism increase the risk of the fast spread of infectious microorganisms and toxins. Todays procedures for pathogen detection involve complex stationary devices, and are often too time consuming for a rapid and effective response. Therefore a robust and mobile diagnostic system is required. We present a microstructured LabDisk which performs complex biochemical analyses together with a mobile centrifugal microfluidic device which processes the LabDisk. This portable system will allow fully automated and rapid detection of biological threats at the point-of-need.