Unlock unprecedented accuracy in viral detection with Virusure: A Smartphone integrated sensor empowered by Trailing Moving Average algorithm

Abstract

Viral infections pose a significant global health burden, underscoring the critical need for proactive measures such as vaccination and rapid diagnostics. Complex laboratory procedures involved in traditional viral detection result in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Addressing this challenge, we introduce "Virusure," an innovative ASSURED (Affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid, and robust, equipment-free, and deliverable to end-users) virus sensor designed for swift and accessible detection. This portable device integrates a handheld potentiostat with a smartphone via Bluetooth, enabling rapid (∼30 min) detection of viral proteins in throat swab samples. In response to the recent COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, "Virusure" has been specifically calibrated for the detection of the nucleocapsid protein (Npro) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The sensor exhibits a broad detection range, equivalent to a viral load of ∼10⁶ virus particles per mL, with excellent linearity (R² = 0.98). It also demonstrates high analytical performance and a remarkable specificity of minimal cross-reactivity (<10 %) with other common respiratory viruses. To ensure accuracy and reliability, the Trailing Moving Average (MA) algorithm with a window size of 7 (MA7) was implemented using Python's Pandas library. The approach allows “Virusure” to achieve high performance and cost-effectivity. Smartphone integration allows "Virusure" to offer a user-friendly interface for convenient self-testing and remote disease monitoring capabilities, holding immense potential in diagnostic and public health care sector.