We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Portable Diagnostic Tool Uses Bioluminescence to Detect Viruses at POC

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 30 May 2025

Point-of-care diagnostics have become crucial tools in many households, enabling individuals to measure blood sugar, conduct pregnancy tests, and even perform their own COVID-19 assays. More...

These diagnostics allow people to avoid the need for costly and time-consuming laboratory testing, making them vital for disease detection, treatment, and monitoring. However, current diagnostics often suffer from issues such as inaccuracy and poor sensitivity.

Bioluminescence has the potential to address common problems experienced by other diagnostic methods, including background noise, false positives, photobleaching, and phototoxicity. By using the same natural enzyme that causes fireflies to glow, bioluminescence can illuminate biological samples for imaging. The enzyme luciferase is added to the sample to detect viral particles, and luciferin molecules are introduced to trigger a luciferase reaction that produces a burst of light. However, this reaction typically results in a weak and short-lived light signal. Now, researchers have developed a rapid, portable, and highly sensitive diagnostic tool that generates bioluminescence signals 500 times stronger and 8 times longer-lasting than previous diagnostic tools, overcoming the current limitations of point-of-care diagnostics.

The Luminescence Cascade-based Sensor (LUCAS), developed by researchers at Mass General Brigham (Boston, MA, USA), addresses the shortcomings of current diagnostic methods and more accurately detects SARS-CoV-2, HIV, HBV, and HCV in patient samples. The team designed a novel enzyme signal cascade to amplify and extend the bioluminescence signals. By adding beta-galactosidase, an enzyme that binds to luciferin and continuously releases it, the system enhances the reaction, as opposed to allowing luciferin to float freely for a single reaction. This extra step results in more luciferin, more luciferase reactions, and consequently, more bioluminescence. As a result, LUCAS is 515 times more bioluminescent than non-LUCAS systems, with its signals maintaining 96% of their strength after an hour.

To assess the effectiveness of LUCAS, the research team tested 177 viral-spiked patient samples and 130 viral-spiked serum samples infected with SARS-CoV-2, HIV, HBV, or HCV. The SARS-CoV-2 samples were collected via nasopharyngeal swabs, while HIV, HBV, and HCV samples were obtained from blood draws. The study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, revealed that LUCAS provided diagnostic results within 23 minutes, with an average accuracy of over 94% across all pathogens. The researchers designed LUCAS to be both portable and user-friendly, making it suitable for use in a variety of healthcare settings, from well-resourced hospitals to low-resource point-of-care environments. The next steps for the team include testing LUCAS’ performance with other biological fluids and exploring its ability to detect multiple pathogens simultaneously. As biomarkers for diseases like Alzheimer’s continue to evolve, having a tool like LUCAS ready for new biomarkers could prove invaluable in the coming years.

“Developing effective diagnostics is incredibly challenging, especially when you think about the size of infectious disease particles and the complicated biological fluids we’re attempting to identify them in. Finding an HIV particle in a human blood sample is like finding an ice cube in a jelly-filled Olympic swimming pool while blindfolded,” said senior author Hadi Shafiee, PhD, a faculty member in the Division of Engineering in Medicine and Renal Division of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. “With its novel enzyme cascade approach, LUCAS marks a substantial leap forward for sensing viruses in these complex biological samples.”


New
Gold Member
Cardiovascular Risk Test
Metabolic Syndrome Array I & II
POC Helicobacter Pylori Test Kit
Hepy Urease Test
New
ESR Analyzer
TEST1 2.0
New
Hemodynamic System Monitor
OptoMonitor
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Early and effective screening for gestational diabetes mellitus is becoming increasingly important (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

First-Trimester Blood Test Accurately Predicts Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects many pregnancies and is typically detected midway through pregnancy, often too late to prevent complications. Women diagnosed late face increased risks such... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: Platelets sequester cfDNA during circulation (Murphy L. et al., Science, 2025; DOI: 10.1126/science.adp3971)

Platelets Could Improve Early and Minimally Invasive Detection of Cancer

Platelets are widely recognized for their role in blood clotting and scab formation, but they also play a crucial role in immune defense by detecting pathogens and recruiting immune cells.... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The test could streamline clinical decision-making by identifying ideal candidates for immunotherapy upfront (Xiao, Y. et al. Cancer Biology & Medicine July 2025, 20250038)

Blood Test Predicts Immunotherapy Efficacy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype lacking targeted therapies, making immunotherapy a promising yet unpredictable option. Current biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression or tumor... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: New diagnostics could predict a woman’s risk of a common sexually transmitted infection (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New Markers Could Predict Risk of Severe Chlamydia Infection

Chlamydia trachomatis is a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and other reproductive complications when it spreads to the upper genital tract.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.