Development of highly sensitive and rapid antigen detection assay for diagnosis of COVID-19 utilizing optical waveguide immunosensor

Ever since its outbreak,the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading rapidly causing a global health crisis.Accurate diagnosis and instituting appropriate intervention to relevant individuals are essential not only to slow down the spread of this pandemic but also to manage our resources efficiently.To date,testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection mostly relies on reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)on a nasopharyngeal or saliva specimen and remains the gold standard for diagnosis as it exhibits high sensitivity and specificity.