Nanotrap–AI Integration Enables Ultra-Sensitive Point-of-Care HIV Testing
-inspired bioengineered enrichment (BE) nanotrap with a smartphone-based deep-learning reader (SMART). The BE nanotrap concentrates antibodies by ∼20-fold while removing salivary inhibitors, enabling oral-fluid-equivalent samples to become detectable on commercial LFAs. A transfer-learning-refined AI model interprets weak test lines with 98.6% accuracy, outperforming untrained users and clinicians. In a longitudinal seroconversion panel, BE-SMART-HIV detected antibody emergence up to 8 days earlier than conventional LFAs and reproduced ELISA-like temporal patterns, including IgM onset and IgG maturation, even from samples diluted 1,000-fold. These findings demonstrate that enriched oral-fluid-level specimens can capture systemic antibody kinetics, establishing a practical route to early, noninvasive, high-fidelity HIV screening for repeated testing in resource-limited settings.
Authors
- Jeong Hoon Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7344-6060)
- Dae Sung Yoon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6447-2862)
- Hyowon Woo
- Seungmin Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0752-0119)
- Jeong Soo Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8859-619X)
- Ji Hye Hong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8572-3475)
- S W Chung
Institutions
- Korea University (KR)
- Astrobiology Center (JP)
- Precision Research (United States) (US)
- Korea University (JP)
- Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2026-04-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c01808
- Primary Topic
- Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Research Foundation of Korea