Nanopore detection method diagnoses SARS-CoV-2 infections faster and more accurately

 Reporter Mao Li / Publisher : Science & Technology Daily / http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2020/10/446908.shtm / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA, Direct translation / Image courtesy : Wiley Online Library

The Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology recently stated that its researchers have proposed a new detection method for SARS-CoV-2, which is expected to pave the way for more accurate diagnosis of infected persons. The new method is currently undergoing commercialization in order to serve the public as soon as possible.

In the conventional SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, professionals collect a swab sample from the patient and process the sample with several chemical solutions to remove proteins and fats and other substances, and only extract the RNA present in the sample , That is, a mixture of personal genetic material and viral (if any) RNA. Then reverse transcription PCR is used to reverse transcription of RNA into DNA and the DNA is cyclically amplified. If the sample contains the novel coronavirus, it can usually be detected after 35 cycles.

However, the PCR detection method has drawbacks. The main reason is that when virus detection is performed on a large sample subject, as the number of samples increases, the chance of error also increases. In addition, sometimes the amount of viral RNA is too small, making it difficult to detect and easy to miss.

The method proposed by Professor Amit Mailer, Dean of the School of Biomedical Engineering, overcomes these shortcomings. Researchers believe that using their original technology, that is, replacing a large number of sample collections with special nanopores on materials, to analyze individual molecules to find viruses, which can ensure a smaller sample size and higher accuracy. During the analysis, the molecules emit unique electrical signals as they pass through the electrical sensor. At the same time, in addition to the target molecule remains intact, other molecules will be removed, thereby improving the accuracy of the test.

The researchers suggested in their report that applying this technology to the SARS-CoV-2 test will make the detection process faster and more accurate. In addition, their ultimate goal is to make the detection method easy to carry and use, thereby reducing the workload in the laboratory.

Mailer said that they have proven that this technology can maintain the gene expression level of the virus's original RNA molecules throughout the detection process, so that more accurate analysis methods can be obtained, which is very important.

See also:

Ming Wang etal., Nanopore Targeted Sequencing for the Accurate and Comprehensive Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other Respiratory Viruses, Wiley Online Library, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/smll.202002169