An excitation wavelength-optimized, stable SERS biosensing nanoplatform for analyzing adenoviral and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination efficacy status using tear samples of vaccinated individuals

We introduce a label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) biosensing platform equipped with metallic nanostructures that can identify the efficacy of Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZD1222) vaccine in vaccinated individuals using non-invasive tear samples. We confirmed the hypothesis that the tears of people who receive the AZD1222 vaccine may be similar to those of adenovirus epidemic keratoconjunctivitis patients since the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is derived from a replication-deficient ChAdOx1 vector of chimpanzee adenovirus. Additionally, we confirmed the potential of the three markers for estimating the vaccination status via analyzing the signals emanating from antibodies or immunoglobulin G by-product using our label-free, SERS biosensing technique with a high reproducibility (<3% relative standard deviation), femtomole-scale limit of detection (1 × 10⁻¹⁴ M), and high SERS response of >10⁸. Therefore, our label-free SERS biosensing nanoplatforms with long-term storage and robust stability will enable rapid and robust monitoring of the vaccine presence in vaccinated individuals.