Project 467005

Antibodies are a natural immune response developed by the body to protect against infection, but in some cases, individuals can develop autoantibodies that attack components of the individual's own body. As such, a dysfunctional immune response can result in an increased susceptibility to infection. In the case of COVID-19 patients, autoantibodies that attack immune system's hormones, like interferons, can result in life-threatening and critical COVID-19 infections. Therefore, the detection of these autoantibodies is critical in managing a patient's prognosis and monitoring for critical infections to protect those at the highest risk. Current testing methods are done in batch groupings and lack accessibility. We propose the use of a portable, instrument-free platform that can use direct patient blood samples to render a diagnostic readout. These kinds of technologies are analogous to the common pregnancy test lateral flow assay and allow for the monitoring of severe infection at the point-of-care, as well as provide a means of translating clinical assays into the hands of users.