EPoCA

The challenge

Ebola virus infections call for rapid action – both clinically, to save patients’ lives, and via public health responses, to halt further transmission. Infections have a high fatality rate and are highly contagious, so diagnoses need to be made as rapidly as possible, for example, using point-of-care tests.

New technologies and materials are enabling rapid diagnostics for Ebola and other infectious diseases. One example is graphene, ultrathin layers of carbon, which can be modified to incorporate detection systems for biomolecules specific to particular pathogens or produced by patients in response to infection. Following the binding of these biomolecules, changes in the graphene detector's properties can be converted into an easily interpreted visual signal. 

The project

The EPoCA project is using this approach, known as multiplexed field-effect sensor technology (FET), to develop a rapid, sensitive and specific diagnostic test for Ebola virus infection. Over the past 10 years, graphene FETs have been developed for a range of biosensing uses, providing a strong foundation for the adaptation to Ebola detection. 

Using standard blood samples, the technology will detect a mix of viral and host biomolecules, including antibodies indicating infection and host biomarkers that provide a measure of infection severity. These results will be generated rapidly – within 30 minutes – so they can inform immediate patient care, including triage based on infection severity.

In addition, the detector will be integrated into an ‘internet of things’ device, so that diagnostic information can immediately be shared across the web. This will provide policymakers with near-instant epidemiological information to inform public health responses. 

The EPoCA project will develop a prototype device, conduct clinical validation studies, and explore manufacturing scale-up. Clinical validation studies will be carried out with project partners at field sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Ghana. 

Impact

The EPoCA project is leveraging an exciting area of technology development to create a new tool for Ebola control. It will:

• Develop a practical, easy-to-use diagnostic tool for rapid detection of Ebola virus infections at the bedside.
• Enable patients to be rapidly triaged so severe cases receive priority care.
• Deliver near-real-time epidemiological information to public health officials to support rapid response to outbreaks.
• Provide proof-of-concept for a technology that could have multiple applications in infectious disease control and other areas of healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.

A graphene FET-based diagnostic for the Ebola virus would improve immediate care of Ebola patients, helping to reduce alarmingly high mortality rates, and also support efforts to control the spread of infections through the community.