Scientists develop way to detect Covid using fluorescence readout

Scientists with Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have developed a new technology platform for the fluorometric detection of pathogens such as viruses by measurement of fluorescent light emitted.

The new platform, which can deliver results faster than traditional RT-PCR tests, was designed to detect the novel coronavirus.

But scientists said that it can also be used to detect other DNA/RNA pathogens such as HIV, influenza, HCV, Zika, Ebola, bacteria, and other mutating/evolving pathogens.

Prof T Govindaraju of JNCASR described the invention as a modular platform for the detection of several types of pathogens, be they bacterial or viral in nature.

“The platform works by detecting what we call the non-canonical structure of DNA. A DNA strand is normally visualized as a double helix, but some parts of the DNA can adopt unusual structures such as four-strand or quadruplex structures, which are rich in ‘G’ nucleobase. They are called GQ-structures, which normally appear at the end of the chromosome and also found ubiquitously within genomes,” he said, explaining that the test is geared towards identifying these GQ-structures or other unusual structures.

“We also developed a fluorescent molecule which is able to bind to these non-canonical DNA structures, which allows us to detect the pathogen with a high sensitivity rate,” he added, clarifying that the studies were conducted using a dozen actual viral samples procured from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

The novel platform, dubbed the GQ-RCP (GQ-Targeted Reliable Conformational Polymorphism) test, is able to provide a faster test result.

“Our technique involves the RT-PCR methods which remains an important technique, but we adopt a simpler and faster isothermal amplification process that works at fixed or constant temperatures. This means that amplification can be performed using a water bath,” Govindaraju explained.

RT-PCR testing involves amplifying the samples across several cycles and different temperatures to determine the result.

Scientists said that the molecular detection platform can be integrated into field-deployable isothermal amplification assays, with more reliability and sequence specificity.

The work has been published recently in the journal ACS Sensors. The team also filed a patent for the novel technology.

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