INDUSTRY MATTERS
Utilizing Nanotrap Microbiome Particles to Capture and Concentrate Intact Virus from Wastewater Samples
By Steve Kelly , technical product manager , Streck Inc .
In response to the
COVID-19 outbreak , the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) established the
National Wastewater Surveillance System ( NWSS ) in September 2020 . NWSS coordinates with health departments and public health laboratories to track the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and has plans to expand to other microbes of interest . For SARS-CoV-2 , wastewater testing has already been demonstrated as an early warning of potential COVID-19 outbreaks in a community , as those infected can shed this virus in their feces before they manifest symptoms or even are asymptomatic . The earlier a community-wide outbreak can be detected , the faster public health actions can begin . Ceres Nanosciences Nanotrap ®
Microbiome Particles offer a fast and easyto-use way to capture and concentrate a wide range of microbes — including those of interest to CDC — from wastewater samples . They are compatible with most nucleic acid extraction methods and suitable for RT-qPCR , RT-ddPCR , RT-dPCR , and sequencing-based analysis methods .
Game-Changing Hydrogel Technology
Nanotrap ® Microbiome Particles are highly porous hydrogel particles functionalized with chemical affinity baits that bind , with very high affinity , to intact microbes . The hydrogel structure facilitates rapid exchange with the solution for rapid microbial binding . Nanotrap particles contain a magnetic component , allowing them to be pulled to a magnet for easy recovery from the solution . This process can be automated , allowing high throughput concentration of analytes ( Figure 1 ).
Hydrogel technology — incorporating affinity dyes to capture low abundance analytes in solution — allows the rapid concentration of intact pathogens that contain the entire viral genome . Methods utilizing Nanotrap ® particles to capture and concentrate microbes from wastewater result in better PCR and sequencing-based results . Nanotrap ® Microbiome Particles replace more tedious concentration steps in the workflow , taking samples directly from raw sewage
Figure 1 .
18 LAB MATTERS Winter 2022