how do we test everyone? we need to test active infection (RNA) AND past infection (antibodies) cheap/quick to really trace/track. antibody tests now getting approved & coming to market (yay!).. these are cheap (<$10) easy-to-use (finger prick at-home) & fast (10mins)...
best solution to test for active infection may NOT be PCR. PCR is best CURRENT solution - costs $6, but requires central lab, 6 step procedure, 45 minutes, and requires people, swabs, and reagents. can we get cheap/fast at-home active infection test? yes, we should, soon...
there is a new technology based on CRISPR that is actively being developed.. a CRISPR molecule with a "guide RNA" matches up to specific SARS-CoV-2 RNA & changes color if match is found. this can be "printed" on strip of paper and turned into an at-home/doc office test..
..10 minute readout. would be super-cheap and should be easy to make LOTS of these once you prove that they work. there are about a dozen different research groups/companies actively working on getting this system proven and working..
we are probably a few months away from seeing them come to market, but it will usher in a new era of infectious disease testing, where needing the central lab for specific tests is replaced with easy/broad/rapid cheap point-of-care tests (esp after c19 pandemic)
CRISPR systems have been used to edit specific DNA/RNA sequences in a specific way, but reconfiguring to DETECT RNA in a sample is a recent and novel application. here are some good resources to learn more:
broadinstitute.org/videos/sherloc…
ifcc.org/media/477482/e…
blog.addgene.org/finding-nuclei…
broadinstitute.org/videos/sherloc…
ifcc.org/media/477482/e…
blog.addgene.org/finding-nuclei…
