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. In the context of lentiviruses, which are widely used for cell reprogramming in immunotherapies, knowing the effective titer of the transformed virus is crucial to determining the appropriate dosage and expectations for therapy. 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 of the virus titer.

Commercial Applications

The technology has broad commercial applications in various fields, including:

• Pharmaceutical Development: Accelerating the characterization of viruses used in gene therapies and immunotherapies to streamline drug development processes.
• Vaccine Development: Facilitating rapid identification and quantification of viruses, supporting the efficient development and testing of new vaccines.
• Biomedical Research: Enabling researchers to quickly determine virus titer in experimental samples, expediting research in virology and infectious diseases.

Benefits/Advantages

The technology offers several key benefits and 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.
• 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.
• 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.

In conclusion, the technology's ability to rapidly and directly determine virus titer using SERS holds immense potential for revolutionizing various biomedical fields and expediting critical processes in pharmaceutical and vaccine development. Its efficiency, versatility, and reduced sample preparation make it a powerful tool for researchers and practitioners seeking to enhance their virus characterization and quantification capabilities.