Development of Rapid and Affordable Virus-Mimicking Artificial Positive Controls

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Biotechnology
• Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

• Assay development is hindered by the difficulty in obtaining and maintaining reliable positive controls.
• Current methods for acquiring positive controls are time-consuming and expensive, impacting assay validation.
• The absence of suitable positive controls compromises the accuracy and reliability of diagnostic assays.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel strategy for creating virus-mimicking artificial positive controls (ViMAPCs).
• To demonstrate the rapid development and application of ViMAPCs, significantly reducing turnaround time.
• To establish ViMAPCs as a versatile tool for assay validation and pathogen outbreak monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Designed and synthesized virus-mimicking artificial positive controls (ViMAPCs).
• Evaluated the feasibility and adaptability of ViMAPCs using various RNA and DNA plant viruses.
• Assessed the realistic representation of natural infections and the ability to detect laboratory contamination.

Main Results:

• ViMAPCs were developed and ready for application in under 5 days, a substantial improvement over traditional methods.
• ViMAPCs realistically mimic natural viral infections, providing a more accurate positive control.
• The strategy proved feasible and adaptable across diverse plant viruses, including RNA and DNA types.

Conclusions:

• ViMAPCs present a rapid, cost-effective, and realistic alternative to traditional positive controls for viral detection assays.
• This novel approach facilitates effortless recognition of laboratory contamination and enhances assay validation.
• ViMAPCs are suitable for diagnostics laboratories and crucial for rapid response in pathogen outbreak monitoring.