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Point-of-care testing for COVID-19 using SHERLOCK diagnostics
Julia Joung1,2,3,4, Alim Ladha1,2,3,4, Makoto Saito1,2,3,4,5
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences
|June 9, 2020
Summary
A new one-pot test, STOPCovid, detects SARS-CoV-2 rapidly and accurately. This simplified method offers a sensitive alternative to RT-qPCR for point-of-care COVID-19 diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Infectious Disease Diagnostics
- Biotechnology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for accessible diagnostic tools.
- Current RT-qPCR methods for SARS-CoV-2 detection face limitations in resource-limited settings.
- CRISPR-based diagnostics offer an alternative but often require complex procedures.
Approach:
- Developed STOP (SHERLOCK Testing in One Pot) chemistry for simplified SARS-CoV-2 detection.
- STOPCovid integrates isothermal amplification and CRISPR-based detection in a single reaction.
- Utilized lateral flow and fluorescence readouts for rapid result generation.
Key Points:
- STOPCovid achieves sensitivity comparable to RT-qPCR, with a limit of detection of 100 copies/reaction.
- Results are available in 40 minutes (fluorescence) or 70 minutes (lateral flow).
- Clinical validation demonstrated accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 patients using nasopharyngeal swabs.
Conclusions:
- STOPCovid provides a rapid, sensitive, and point-of-care diagnostic solution for SARS-CoV-2.
- This simplified test chemistry is suitable for low-resource settings, aiding public health efforts.
- Implementation of STOPCovid can support test-trace-isolate strategies for effective pandemic management.
