Novel universal capture coating platform for Influenza virus

What is it about?

Influenza virus mutates quickly and unpredictably creating emerging pathogenic strains that are difficult to detect, diagnose, and characterize. In this work, we developed a novel capture coating that uses sialic acid as a universal virus binding receptor. This allows for easier isolation and imaging of individual virions that remain intact and viable.

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Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This binding platform allows for generic capture of any influenza virus that binds sialic acid, unlike antibody-based assays which are often specific to the species/strain and may be problematic when the virus mutates. The module construction of the capture coating also provides a platform on which the binding receptor may be swapped out for other functional molecules to suit the needs of the user. The binding is strong enough to withstand wash steps to further purify the virus sample, making it an ideal candidate to separate virus out of clinical samples.