Viruses are contagious, sometimes highly infectious pathogens that can spread rapidly and lead to outbreaks of disease with many people affected.

Viral pathogens can persist on inanimate surfaces. Compliance with hygiene guidelines is therefore an essential step in the fight against virus-related infections.

It is possible to break chains of infection through targeted cleaning/disinfection measures.

However, the disinfectant cleaning of surfaces or disinfectant reprocessing of textiles requires effective control measures as part of hygiene management.

The aim of the project was to develop immobilisable Scorpion Primers that enable the detection of viral pathogens.

The principle of detection is based on the specific recognition of viral pathogens by stimulus-sensitive liposomes which release specific, synthetic DNA strands (DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid) when binding to viral pathogens.

Stimulus-sensitive liposomes contain antibody-functionalised fatty acid derivatives in their membranes to which the viral pathogens bind, leading to destabilisation of the liposomal membrane.

The released strands are amplified isothermally using surface-bound Scorpion Primers whereby a fluorescence signal is generated.

The specific design of the synthetic DNA enables the regeneration of the surface-bound Scorpion Primers.

Liposomes prepared with DNA and functionalised with antibodies were produced which were destabilised upon binding to a viral pathogen (bacteriophage M13).

Scorpion Primers were developed that changed into their fluorescent conformation when the DNA was amplified and that were bound to surfaces without impairing their functionality.

An enzyme (HaeIII) has been identified that cuts single-stranded DNA and is in principle suitable for the regeneration of Scorpion Primers.

A method for isothermal amplification of the released DNA using the surface-bound Scorpion Primers was established which is called Helicase-dependent amplification (HDA).

When testing the developed detection, a fluorescence signal was generated in the presence of phages.

The research report is available on request from FRT.