Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 8, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Pathogen Diagnostics with Standardized LAMP
Published on: September 8, 2023
A Palm Germ-Radar (PaGeR) for rapid and simple COVID-19 detection by reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal
Anle Ge1, Fengyi Liu2, Xindong Teng3
1Single-Cell Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Genetics, Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, 266101, China.
Abstract:
The current COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is raging, seriously threatening people's lives. The establishment of rapid and accurate pathogen detection technology is not only critical in this epidemic, but also a reminder that we must always be prepared for possible future outbreaks. Therefore, we developed a Palm Germ-Radar (PaGeR) device for rapid and simple detection of COVID-19 from extracted patient sample RNA by RT-LAMP. The whole procedure of rapid COVID-19 detection is based on 4 simple steps: inactivation, extraction, amplification, and detection. SARS-CoV-2 down to 1 copy/μL could be detected selectively with naked-eye. Three detection methods (colorimetric, fluorometric and lateral dipstick readout) could be performed in PaGeR instrument. By employing the PaGeR, we successfully detected SARS-CoV-2 in clinical RNA samples isolated from swab specimens. The results showed that 15 out of 17 COVID-19 patients were diagnosed as positive while all 55 normal samples were diagnosed as negative. Therefore, the developed PaGeR instrument can realize the detection of COVID-19 with easily visualized results, providing a promising instrument for rapid detection in the community as well as at home.
