Innovative Technique for Single Virus Fingerprinting

Single virus fingerprinting by widefield interferometric defocus-enhanced mid-infra-red photothermal microscopy

Researchers from Boston University have introduced a novel widefield interferometric defocus-enhanced mid-infrared photothermal (WIDE-MIP) microscope, which significantly advances the field of virus detection and analysis. This new system, developed with the help of our 488 nm Cobolt 06-MLD laser (at 200 mW), allows for high-throughput fingerprinting of single viruses, providing detailed compositional information about viral proteins and nucleic acids.

The WIDE-MIP microscope identifies feature absorption peaks, revealing the contents of viral proteins and nucleic acids in single DNA and RNA viruses. It differentiates DNA and RNA viruses by detecting unique nucleic acid signatures, such as thymine and uracil residue vibrations. Additionally, the system uncovers enriched β-sheet components in viral proteins, offering insights into protein structure and function.

The results of the study, which were published in Nature Communications, open new avenues for the compositional analysis of viral vectors and the study of protein function in assembled virions, enhancing our understanding of viral structures and their roles in infections.