The Governing Council of the University of Toronto

Purpose

There is an urgent need for portable SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic instrumentation for deployment across Canada. Work-to-date has led to the creation of a molecular diagnostic for SARS-CoV-2 that has clinically-relevant sensitivity and can be read using a simple, off-the-shelf glucose meter. This technology uses gene circuit-based sensors that create glucose in response to the presence of the viral genome. Users simply measure the glucose level of a test and then use online software to translate the reading into clinically actionable information. This technology is currently limited by the need to extract the viral genome from patient samples, which is normally done in a well-resourced laboratory. The proposed collaborative Project will address this challenge by creating a portable, automated, microfluidic chip for sample preparation at the point-of-need, enabling distributed use of the glucose meter-based technology.