A research team from Japan’s RIKEN Institute and the University of Tokyo has developed the world’s fastest new test that can accurately detect new coronavirus infections in only about 5 minutes, according to an article in the British Journal of Science on the 19th. It is said that the cost is roughly the same as the PCR test currently used to confirm the diagnosis, and a large number of samples can be resolved in a short time.
Japan has developed the world’s fastest new coronavirus detection method, Kyodo News reported today, saying that the test first mixes CRISPR with fluorescent molecules that glow after being cut and the patient’s test sample. It was found that if a new coronavirus was present in the sample, the RNA would bind to CRISPR to form a complex. Since the complex has the effect of cutting off the fluorescent molecule, if it glows, it indicates the presence of the virus. In the actual test, the sample mixed with CRISPR, etc., was injected into a sheet with 100,000 tiny holes for each person. The number of luminescent holes can be counted by microscope and the amount of virus can be investigated.
According to an article published in the British Journal of Science on the 19th by a team of researchers from the RIKEN Institute of Japan and the University of Tokyo, a new test method has been developed that can accurately detect new coronavirus infections in only about 5 minutes, the fastest in the world. The cost is said to be roughly the same as the PCR test currently used to confirm the diagnosis, and a large number of samples can be resolved in a short period of time. Riken director researcher Rikuya Watanabe (biophysics) said, “It will be put into practical use in about 2 years in cooperation with private companies.”
According to the report, the team focused on the feature that the enzyme “CRISPR-Cas13a,” which is related to the bacterial immune system, is activated and cut off when it binds to RNA, the genetic material in coronaviruses.
The report says that the PCR test takes more than an hour to extract and amplify the gene. The new method allegedly eliminates the need for such processing and costs essentially the same as PCR, at under $10. The research team said the test is also expected to be used in the diagnosis of other viral infectious diseases such as influenza and cancer.
Recent Comments