Rapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection using quantitative peptide enrichment LC-MS analysis.
Andreas HoberKhue Hua Tran-MinhDominic FoleyThomas McDonaldJohannes Pc VissersRebecca PattisonSamantha FerriesSigurd HermanssonIngvar BetnerMathias UhlénMorteza RazaviRichard YipMatthew E PopeTerry W PearsonLeigh N AnderssonAmy BartlettLisa CaltonJessica J AlmLars EngstrandFredrik EdforsPublished in: eLife (2021)
Reliable, robust, large-scale molecular testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential for monitoring the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We have developed a scalable analytical approach to detect viral proteins based on peptide immuno-affinity enrichment combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This is a multiplexed strategy, based on targeted proteomics analysis and read-out by LC-MS, capable of precisely quantifying and confirming the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) swab media from combined throat/nasopharynx/saliva samples. The results reveal that the levels of SARS-CoV-2 measured by LC-MS correlate well with their correspondingreal-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) read-out (r = 0.79). The analytical workflow shows similar turnaround times as regular RT-PCR instrumentation with a quantitative read-out of viral proteins corresponding to cycle thresholds (Ct) equivalents ranging from 21 to 34. Using RT-PCR as a reference, we demonstrate that the LC-MS-based method has 100% negative percent agreement (estimated specificity) and 95% positive percent agreement (estimated sensitivity) when analyzing clinical samples collected from asymptomatic individuals with a Ct within the limit of detection of the mass spectrometer (Ct ≤ 30). These results suggest that a scalable analytical method based on LC-MS has a place in future pandemic preparedness centers to complement current virus detection technologies.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- liquid chromatography
- mass spectrometry
- loop mediated isothermal amplification
- coronavirus disease
- sensitive detection
- high resolution
- real time pcr
- high resolution mass spectrometry
- computed tomography
- single molecule
- image quality
- dual energy
- contrast enhanced
- label free
- tandem mass spectrometry
- gas chromatography
- simultaneous determination
- gene expression
- quantum dots
- solid phase extraction
- positron emission tomography
- electronic health record
- dna methylation
- high performance liquid chromatography
- capillary electrophoresis