Coronavirus: Researchers are developing a new, fast and safe detection method
21.08.2023 17:11
Commercially available mass spectrometers can reliably detect the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have developed a new method for this, which they present in the journal “Clinical Proteomics”. Devices are used that are already used in hospitals and laboratories to detect bacterial and fungal infections. It takes just two hours from the smear test to the result. According to the team, the new method can also be easily adapted to other pathogens and could thus help in future pandemics.
The new procedure requires a nasal or throat swab. The sample is then processed before it is evaluated by a mass spectrometer within a few seconds. In what is known as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, the samples are transferred into the gas phase using a laser pulse. The mass of the individual components can then be measured. “For the coronavirus, we can measure individual virus particles directly and clearly. “That’s why false-positive results can be ruled out with this procedure,” says Prof. Dr. Andrea Sinz from the Institute of Pharmacy at MLU, who specializes in research on mass spectrometry and proteins. Her team was able to show in July 2020 that the method was fundamentally suitable for detecting SARS-CoV-2 - although at that time it still required a complex procedure and significantly more complex equipment.
In acute phases, the procedure would be the ideal complement to PCR
The advantage of the new method is that MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers are already used in many laboratories and clinics for the diagnosis of bacterial or fungal infections and are therefore available almost immediately. The devices can even distinguish between different virus variants. The method is currently not as sensitive as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the most sensitive corona test to date. This means that if the viral load is very low, not all infections may be detected. The process can be used much faster and more flexibly. “In acute phases, the process would be the ideal complement to PCR because it allows us to analyze a large number of samples very quickly. Fast and reliable results may make it easier to contain outbreaks,” says Lydia Kollhoff, first author of the study. In addition, the detection principle could be relatively easily transferred to other pathogens during future pandemics and used as a supplement to PCR.
Together with the Leipzig University Hospital, the Halle scientists want to further optimize the method. Certification for the procedure could then be applied for so that it can also be used in the clinic.
The study was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Study: Kollhoff L. et al. Development of a rapid and specific MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Clinical Proteomics (2023). doi: 10.1186/s12014-023-09415-y