Portable molecular diagnostic platform for rapid point-of-care detection of mpox and other diseases
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The World Health Organization's designation of mpox as a public health emergency of international concern in August 2024 underscores the urgent need for effective diagnostic solutions to combat this escalating threat. The rapid global spread of clade II mpox, coupled with the sustained human-to-human transmission of the more virulent clade I mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlights a critical gap in point-of-care diagnostics for this emergent disease. In response, we developed Dragonfly, a portable molecular diagnostic platform for point-of-care use that integrates power-free nucleic acid extraction (<5 minutes) with lyophilised colourimetric LAMP chemistry. The platform demonstrated an analytical limit-of-detection of 100 genome copies per reaction for monkeypox virus, effectively distinguishing it from other orthopoxviruses, herpes simplex virus, and varicella-zoster virus. Clinical validation on 164 samples, including 51 mpox-positive cases, yielded 96.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity for orthopoxviruses, and 94.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity for monkeypox virus. Here, we present a rapid, accessible, and robust point-of-care diagnostic solution for mpox, suitable for both low- and high-resource settings, addressing the global resurgence of orthopoxviruses in the context of declining smallpox immunity.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Matthew L. Cavuto, Kenny Malpartida-Cardenas, Ivana Pennisi, Marcus J. Pond, Sohail Mirza, Nicolas Moser, Mark Comer, Isobel Stokes, Lucy Eke, Sian Lant, Katarzyna M. Szostak-Lipowicz, Luca Miglietta, Oliver W. Stringer, Katerina-Theresa Mantikas, Rebecca P. Sumner, Frances Bolt, Shiranee Sriskandan, Alison Holmes, Pantelis Georgiou, David O. Ulaeto, Carlos Maluquer de Motes, Jesus Rodriguez-Manzano
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Funders: Wellcome Trust, Government of the United Kingdom, UK Research and Innovation, National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Health and Social Care, Research Councils UK, University of Warwick, Imperial College London, Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Awards: Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network – UK (CAMO-Net UK), G1343464820, Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network – UK (CAMO-Net UK), G2367513783, G2785857530, G2925931425, MRC IAA 2021 Imperial College London, Multi-dimensional Diagnostics for Rapid Detection of Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries, DTP 2020-2021 Imperial College London, [Monkey Pox] Rapid Research Response, G6360820698, Multi-dimensional Diagnostics for Rapid Detection of Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries, G8147778185, NIHR Global Health Research Group on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems
OpenAlex ID: W4408788482