Femtosecond Photonic Viral Inactivation Probed Using Solid-State Nanopores

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid, nanopore-based method to detect virus inactivation caused by femtosecond laser radiation, significantly reducing analysis time compared to traditional assays.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach combining solid-state nanopores and femtosecond laser inactivation to quickly assess viral inactivation at the single virion level.

Findings

Nanopore conductance detects morphological changes in viruses.

The method reduces detection time to a few minutes.

Statistical analysis quantifies viral inactivation effectively.

Abstract

We report on the detection of inactivation of virus particles using femtosecond laser radiation by measuring the conductance of a solid state nanopore designed for detecting single virus particles. Conventional methods of assaying for viral inactivation based on plaque forming assays require 24-48 hours for bacterial growth. Nanopore conductance measurements provide information on morphological changes at a single virion level. We show that analysis of a time series of nanopore conductance can quantify the detection of inactivation, requiring only a few minutes from collection to analysis. Morphological changes were verified by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Statistical analysis maximizing the information entropy provides a measure of the Log-reduction value. Taken together, our work provides a rapid method for assaying viral inactivation with femtosecond lasers using solid-state nanopores.