Comparative investigations for adenovirus recognition and quantification: Plastic or natural antibodies?

Comparative and comprehensive investigations for adenovirus recognition and detection were conducted using plastic and natural antibodies to compare three different strategies. The implementation of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology for specific and sensitive recognition of viruses with the combination of biosensors was reported. Plastic antibodies (MIPs nanoparticles) were produced for adenovirus by employing a novel solid phase synthesis method. MIP receptors were then characterised using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques prior to immobilisation on a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor as affinity receptor for adenovirus detection. Two different templates were also imprinted as control MIPs (vancomycin-MIP and MS2-MIP). The specific recognition of adenovirus was investigated in the concentration range of 0.01-20 pM and the limit of detection was achieved as 0.02 pM. As an alternative to MIP receptors, direct and sandwich assays were developed for adenovirus quantification using natural antibodies. The detection limit of direct and sandwich assays were found as 0.3 pM and 0.008 pM, respectively. The kinetic data analyses were performed for three different adenovirus recognition methods and cross-reactivity studies were also conducted using MS2 phage as control virus and an excellent specificity was achieved with all assays types. This work confirmed the suitability of the MIPs SPR sensor for the detection of viruses.