Unraveling virus identity by detection of depleted probes with capillary electrophoresis

Recent Advances in Nanoparticle Concentration and Their Application in Viral Detection Using Integrated Sensors

Early disease diagnostics require rapid, sensitive, and selective detection methods for target analytes. Specifically, early viral detection in a point-of-care setting is critical in preventing epidemics and the spread of disease. However, conventional methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or cell cultures are cumbersome and difficult for field use due to the requirements of extensive lab equipment and highly trained personnel, as well as limited sensitivity. Recent advances in nanoparticle concentration have given rise to many novel detection methodologies, which address the shortcomings in modern clinical assays. Here, we review the primary, well-characterized methods for nanoparticle concentration in the context of viral detection via diffusion, centrifugation and microfiltration, electric and magnetic fields, and nano-microfluidics. Details of the concentration mechanisms and examples of related applications provide valuable information to design portable, integrated sensors. This study reviews a wide range of concentration techniques and compares their advantages and disadvantages with respect to viral particle detection. We conclude by highlighting selected concentration methods and devices for next-generation biosensing systems.

Capillary electrophoresis based on nucleic acid detection for diagnosing human infectious disease

Rapid transmission, high morbidity, and mortality are the features of human infectious diseases caused by microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These diseases may lead within a short period of time to great personal and property losses, especially in regions where sanitation is poor. Thus, rapid diagnoses are vital for the prevention and therapeutic intervention of human infectious diseases. Several conventional methods are often used to diagnose infectious diseases, e.g. methods based on cultures or morphology, or biochemical tests based on metabonomics. Although traditional methods are considered gold standards and are used most frequently, they are laborious, time consuming, and tedious and cannot meet the demand for rapid diagnoses. Disease diagnosis using capillary electrophoresis methods has the advantages of high efficiency, high throughput, and high speed, and coupled with the different nucleic acid detection strategies overcomes the drawbacks of traditional identification methods, precluding many types of false positive and negative results. Therefore, this review focuses on the application of capillary electrophoresis based on nucleic detection to the diagnosis of human infectious diseases, and offers an introduction to the limitations, advantages, and future developments of this approach.

Analytical strategies used to identify the readers of histone modifications: A review

The so-called "readers" of histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs) refer to proteins or complexes that are recruited to HPTMs thus eventually regulate gene transcription. To identify these "readers", mass spectrometry plays an essential role following various enriching strategies. These enriching methods include the use of modified histone peptides/proteins or chemically synthesized histones/nucleosomes containing desired HPTMs to enrich the readers of HPTMs. Despite the peptide- or protein-based assay is straightforward and easy to perform for most labs, this strategy has limited applications for those weak or combinational interactions among various HPTMs and false-positive results are a potential big problem. While the results derived from synthesized histone proteins/nucleosomes is more reliable as it mimics the real chromatic conditions thus is able to analyze the binders of those cross-talked HPTMs, usually the synthesis is so difficult that their applications are impeded for high throughput analysis. In this review, an overview of these analytical techniques is provided and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed.