Field-deployable viral diagnostics using CRISPR-Cas13

In this study, we demonstrate that the Cas13-based SHERLOCK (specific high-sensitivity enzymatic reporter unlocking) platform can detect Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) in patient samples at concentrations as low as 1 copy per microliter. We developed HUDSON (heating unextracted diagnostic samples to obliterate nucleases), a protocol that pairs with SHERLOCK for viral detection directly from bodily fluids, enabling instrument-free DENV detection directly from patient samples in <2 hours. We further demonstrate that SHERLOCK can distinguish the four DENV serotypes, as well as region-specific strains of ZIKV from the 2015–2016 pandemic. Finally, we report the rapid (<1 week) design and testing of instrument-free assays to detect clinically relevant viral single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

Source: ScienceNOW - April 26, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Myhrvold, C., Freije, C. A., Gootenberg, J. S., Abudayyeh, O. O., Metsky, H. C., Durbin, A. F., Kellner, M. J., Tan, A. L., Paul, L. M., Parham, L. A., Garcia, K. F., Barnes, K. G., Chak, B., Mondini, A., Nogueira, M. L., Isern, S., Michael, S. F., Lorenz Tags: Microbiology reports Source Type: news