Recent advances in CRISPR-based single-nucleotide fidelity diagnostics

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Genomics

Background:

• Accurate point-of-care (PoC) detection of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) is crucial for clinical decision-making, including pathogen identification and genetic variant diagnosis.
• Conventional methods like PCR and sequencing are not suitable for PoC applications.
• CRISPR-based diagnostics (CRISPRdx) provide a promising alternative due to their operational simplicity and integration with isothermal amplification for specific nucleic acid detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent strategies for enhancing the specificity of CRISPRdx for single nucleotide variant (SNV) detection.
• To explore methods for achieving single-nucleotide fidelity in CRISPRdx assays.
• To identify future directions for improving CRISPRdx precision and applicability in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on CRISPRdx strategies for SNV detection.
• Analysis of guide RNA (gRNA) design tactics.
• Evaluation of effector selection and reaction condition optimization.

Main Results:

• Various strategies exist to refine CRISPRdx specificity, including optimized gRNA design, tailored effector selection, and adjusted reaction conditions.
• These approaches, while functional, often require specific optimization for clinical applications.
• Combining different strategies can further enhance performance.

Conclusions:

• CRISPRdx holds significant potential for accurate PoC SNV detection.
• Further optimization of gRNA design, effector choice, and reaction parameters is necessary for widespread clinical adoption.
• Integration of computational tools and novel CRISPR systems will advance CRISPRdx precision and broaden its clinical utility.