{"id":164305,"date":"2020-09-18T07:15:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T11:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=164305"},"modified":"2020-09-18T07:51:47","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T11:51:47","slug":"developing-crispr-based-diagnostic-test-infectious-diseases-uconn-researchers-validate-clinical-feasibility-covid-19-testing-point-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2020\/09\/developing-crispr-based-diagnostic-test-infectious-diseases-uconn-researchers-validate-clinical-feasibility-covid-19-testing-point-care\/","title":{"rendered":"After Developing CRISPR-based Diagnostic Test for Infectious Diseases, UConn Researchers Validate Clinical Feasibility for COVID-19 Testing at Point of Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

In March, researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering\u2014 a shared department in the schools of Dental Medicine, Medicine, and Engineering\u2014began\u00a0to develop<\/a>\u00a0a new, low-cost,\u00a0CRISPR-based\u00a0diagnostic platform to detect infectious diseases, including HIV virus, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Today, the method is one step closer to being a cutting-edge diagnostics technology for rapid detection of infectious diseases.<\/p>\n

Lead by associate professor Changchun Liu, the \u201cAll-In-One-Dual CRISPR-Cas12a\u201d (AIOD-CRISPR) method enables simple, rapid, ultrasensitive, visual detection of SARS-CoV-2, intended for use at home or in small clinics.<\/p>\n

In a paper published in Nature Communications<\/a>, the researchers validated the clinical feasibility of the platform using COVID-19 clinical swab samples. Additionally, the researchers used a low-cost hand warmer as an incubator to detect clinical sample results within 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe usage of disposable hand warmers to heat the AIOD-CRISPR assay eliminates need for expensive electric equipment, enabling instrument-free point of care molecular diagnostics of COVID-19,\u201d says Liu.<\/p>\n

The publication was co-authored by postdoctoral researchers Xiong Ding and Kun Yin; PhD student Ziyue Li; professor and Associate Dean for Research Dr. Rajesh Lalla; Dr. Enrique Ballesteros, associate professor and chair, pathology and laboratory medicine; and Dr. Maroun Sfeir, assistant professor in pathology and laboratory medicine.<\/p>\n

Nucleic acid amplification testing (PCR\/RT-PCR) is currently the most sensitive and specific method for early detection of pathogens, but is not suitable for rapid point-of-care diagnostics because of the need for specialized laboratory equipment and trained technicians. Highly contagious pathogens, however, need real-time monitoring to prevent spreading from person to person.<\/p>\n

In the study, Liu and his team evaluated their AIOD-CRISPR method using the RNA extract of 28 clinical COVID-19 swab samples, which included eight COVID-19 positive samples. To ensure the reliability of detection, each sample was tested twice in two independent trials. All eight of the COVID-19 positive samples were identified as positive in 40 minutes, which was also confirmed by visual detection. The results were also consistent with those of the CDC-approved RT-PCR method.<\/p>\n

The researchers also used a low-cost hand warmer as an incubator to detect the patient samples to eliminate the need for an electric incubator. The AIOD-CRISPR tubes were directly placed on an air-activated hand warmer, and the results were visible by the naked eye under LED light. Two COVID-19 positive samples incubated in the hand warmer bag were visually detected and identified as positive in 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch simple, portable and sensitive detection platform has the potential to provide rapid and early diagnostics of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases at home,\u00a0 in doctor\u2019s office, and even at drive-thru testing sites,\u201d says Liu.<\/p>\n

For partnering and licensing opportunities, contact Licensing Director Amit Kumar, a.kumar@uconn.edu.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A simple, low-cost method of detecting infectious disease is one step closer to being a cutting-edge diagnostics technology used by clinicians. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":161309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1866,2213,2231,2076,2166,1868,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2177],"class_list":["post-164305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engr","category-coronavirus","category-health-well-being","category-research","category-sdm","category-meds","category-uconn-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-11 17:37:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164305"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164423,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164305\/revisions\/164423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/161309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164305"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=164305"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=164305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}