The Need

The ability to rapidly identify and determine virus titer is of utmost importance in numerous biomedical applications, ranging from gene editing to pharmaceutical and vaccine development. Current methods for characterizing viruses and determining viral titer, such as ELISA, PCR, and cell culture, although reliable, suffer from disadvantages like time-consuming procedures and extensive sample preparation, leading to delays in obtaining results. There is a critical commercial need for a technology that can provide quicker and more straightforward determination of virus titer to accelerate pharmaceutical and vaccine development processes.

The Technology

The technology being presented is a method for determining virus titer in a sample using Raman spectroscopy. Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is employed, which utilizes plasmonic metallic nanostructures to enhance the Raman signal of the virus in the sample. This enhancement enables the acquisition of a molecular fingerprint based on the virus's vibrational modes, facilitating the identification and quantification not just of total virus titer, but also confirm nucleic acid content of the virus.

Benefits/Advantages

• Rapid Results: The method provides quicker results compared to traditional techniques such as ELISA, PCR, and cell culture, reducing the time needed for virus titer determination from days or weeks to a much shorter timeframe.
• Potential Genome Analysis: Beyond titer determination, the technology holds promise for quantifying modifications to a viral genome, providing valuable insights in genetic engineering and research.
• Reduced Sample Preparation: The use of SERS allows for simpler and less extensive sample preparation, simplifying the workflow and minimizing experimental complexities.
• Direct Quantification: The technology directly quantifies virus titer through SERS measurements, eliminating the need for infecting cells and subsequent analysis, resulting in a more straightforward and efficient process.
• Versatility: The methodology is not limited to lentiviruses and can be applied to various virus types, enabling its use in a wide range of virological studies and applications.