To control the current COVID-19 pandemic it is of utmost importance to have robust tests that can detect the virus at very early stages of infection and, at the same time, predict the severity of clinical symptoms the patient may suffer. With this application, we will address this unmet need by providing a testing platform that quickly and specifically diagnoses SARS-CoV-2 infection from small blood samples and predicts the likelihood of severe illness. The test is based on the 'APTASHAPE' technology where changes in human biomarkers are identified by billions of small molecular biosensors that can be read out by next generation sequencing and subsequently be translated into known proteins and metabolites by high throughput mass spectrometry. By training our technology on known human COVID-19 cases from the current pandemic and an experimental corona model in pigs, we will be able to create a screening platform applicable to individuals with unknown disease status.
