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Related Topics
- The research article was published on August 13, 2020.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has crudely showed the need for huge and rapid diagnostics.
- More than 10 million positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported around the world on the early weeks of July 2020.
- In the case of an epidemic emergency, the first line of response should be based on commercially available and validated resources.
- This study demonstrate the use of the miniPCR.
- MiniPCR is a commercial compact and portable polymerase chain reaction device recently available on the market.
- Polymerase chain reaction or PCR is a fast and inexpensive technique used to amplify small segments of DNA.
- The use of MiniPCR was combined with a commercial well-plate reader as a diagnostic system for detecting genetic material of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
- The study used the miniPCR to detect and amplify COVID-19 viral DNA sequences using the sets of initiators recommended by the World Health Organization for targeting three different regions that encode for the N protein.
- The nucleocapsid protein or N-protein is a structural protein that binds to the coronavirus RNA genome, thus creating a shell or capsid around the enclosed nucleic acid.
- Before the amplification process, samples were combined with a DNA intercalating reagent.
- DNA intercalators bind between adjacent base pairs of double stranded DNA and are often used as a fluorescent marker for DNA visualization.
- Sample fluorescence after amplification was then read using a commercial 96-well plate reader.
- This simple method allows the detection and amplification of COVID-19 viral nucleic acids.
- The accuracy and simplicity of this diagnostics strategy may provide an inexpensive and reliable alternative for COVID-19 pandemic testing.
- This simple diagnostic strategy may help underdeveloped regions where RT-QPCR instrument availability may be limited.
- MiniPCR is portable, easy to use, and reproducible making it a reliable alternative for deployment in point-of-care COVID-19 virus detection efforts during pandemics.
Keywords: alternative detection, COVID-19 testing, alternative testing, PCR, miniPCR, simple diagnostic strategy, detect COVID-19 virus
Sources:
González-González E, Trujillo-de Santiago G, Lara-Mayorga IM, Martínez-Chapa SO, Alvarez MM (2020) Portable and accurate diagnostics for COVID-19: Combined use of the miniPCR thermocycler and a well-plate reader for SARS-CoV-2 virus detection. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0237418. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237418
https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Polymerase-Chain-Reaction-Fact-Sheet
https://www.raybiotech.com/covid19-proteins/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/intercalating-agent
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The Chromoscience uses AI-assisted tools to support the preparation and editing of science articles. Content is reviewed by the editor for clarity and consistency with the cited research before publication. Readers are encouraged to consult the original scientific publications for complete findings, methods, and limitations.
