A new bioinformatic platform (APTERION) was used to design in a short time and with high specificity an aptamer for
the detection of the spike protein, a structural protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The
aptamer concentration on the carbon electrode surface was optimized using static contact angle and fluorescence method,
while specificity was tested using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) associated to carbon screen-printed electrodes. The
data obtained demonstrated the good features of the aptamer which could be used to create a rapid method for the detection
of SARS-CoV-2 virus. In fact, it is specific for spike also when tested against bovine serum albumin and lysozyme,
competitor proteins if saliva is used as sample to test for the virus presence. Spectrofluorometric characterization allowed to
measure the amount of aptamer present on the carbon electrode surface, while DPV measurements proved the affinity of the
aptamer towards the spike protein and gave quantitative results. The acquired data allowed to conclude that the APTERION
bioinformatic platform is a good method for aptamer design for rapidity and specificity.
