Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Rapid and sensitive detection of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) using isothermal nucleic acid amplification |
Area of research : | COVID-19 Research, Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Focus area : | COVID-19 Diagnostics |
Principal Investigator : | Dr Biswajit Maiti, Associate Professor, Nitte University, Karnataka |
Timeline Start Year : | 2020 |
Contact info : | maiti.b@nitte.edu.in |
Details
Executive Summary : | This project aims to develop two isothermal amplification of nucleic acid such as RT-polymerase spiral reaction (RT-PSR) assays and RT-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). |
Outcome/Output: | Various gene targets such as nucleocapsid, spike, RNA dependent RNA polymerase, and envelop genes were chosen from the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome, and the primers were designed for both RT-PSR and RT-LAMP assay. It was found that all the targets amplified optimally at 63? for 60 minutes for both methods. Specificity test using bioinformatic analysis proved that designed primers were highly specific to SARS-CoV-2 with zero percent mismatch and 100 percent mismatch with other coronavirus and other related RNA virus. The sensitivity test was performed by tenfold serial dilution of the RNA copies, and the targets were able to detect 10 copies of RNA using both the assays. These tests are highly sensitive, specific, less time consuming, simple, and affordable and can be used as of point-of-care diagnostic kit for COVID-19. |
Organizations involved