Paper-Based DNA Amplification Test to Simplify Infectious Disease Diagnostics
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 24 Jan 2016 |
Image: Targets on the paper test, left, change color to indicate infection (Photo courtesy of Matt Terry, McMaster University).
A simple and rapid paper-based diagnostic platform for diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms was described in a recent paper.
Investigators at McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada) have incorporated the reagents required for rolling circle DNA amplification (RCA) into a paper-pullulan matrix. Pullulan is an edible, mostly tasteless polysaccharide polymer consisting of maltotriose units. The chief commercial use of pullulan is in the manufacture of edible films that are used in various breath freshener or oral hygiene products.
Rolling circle replication is a process of unidirectional nucleic acid replication that can rapidly synthesize multiple copies of circular molecules of DNA or RNA, such as plasmids, the genomes of bacteriophages, and the circular RNA genome of some viruses.
The RCA technique, which can produce massive DNA amplicons that can be easily visualized, was found to be more efficient in the paper matrix than in solution, which the investigators attributed to a significantly higher localized concentration of immobilized DNA.
The investigators developed a fully functional paper device for sensitive DNA or microRNA detection via printing of all RCA-enabling molecules within a polymeric sugar film formed from pullulan, which was integrated with the paper device. This encapsulation not only stabilized the entrapped reagents at room temperature but also enabled colorimetric bioassays with minimal steps.
“The new test involves printing of all required components needed to amplify a DNA or RNA target directly on paper,” said contributing author Dr. John Brennan, professor of chemistry at McMaster University. “The user only needs to add the sample to the paper and wait a few minutes for a color to develop.”
The RCA paper test was described in the January 8, 2016, online edition of the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Related Links:
McMaster University
Investigators at McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada) have incorporated the reagents required for rolling circle DNA amplification (RCA) into a paper-pullulan matrix. Pullulan is an edible, mostly tasteless polysaccharide polymer consisting of maltotriose units. The chief commercial use of pullulan is in the manufacture of edible films that are used in various breath freshener or oral hygiene products.
Rolling circle replication is a process of unidirectional nucleic acid replication that can rapidly synthesize multiple copies of circular molecules of DNA or RNA, such as plasmids, the genomes of bacteriophages, and the circular RNA genome of some viruses.
The RCA technique, which can produce massive DNA amplicons that can be easily visualized, was found to be more efficient in the paper matrix than in solution, which the investigators attributed to a significantly higher localized concentration of immobilized DNA.
The investigators developed a fully functional paper device for sensitive DNA or microRNA detection via printing of all RCA-enabling molecules within a polymeric sugar film formed from pullulan, which was integrated with the paper device. This encapsulation not only stabilized the entrapped reagents at room temperature but also enabled colorimetric bioassays with minimal steps.
“The new test involves printing of all required components needed to amplify a DNA or RNA target directly on paper,” said contributing author Dr. John Brennan, professor of chemistry at McMaster University. “The user only needs to add the sample to the paper and wait a few minutes for a color to develop.”
The RCA paper test was described in the January 8, 2016, online edition of the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Related Links:
McMaster University
Latest Microbiology News
- Integrated Solution Ushers New Era of Automated Tuberculosis Testing
- Automated Sepsis Test System Enables Rapid Diagnosis for Patients with Severe Bloodstream Infections
- Enhanced Rapid Syndromic Molecular Diagnostic Solution Detects Broad Range of Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Decision Support Software a Game-Changer in Antimicrobial Resistance Battle
- New CE-Marked Hepatitis Assays to Help Diagnose Infections Earlier
- 1 Hour, Direct-From-Blood Multiplex PCR Test Identifies 95% of Sepsis-Causing Pathogens
- Mouth Bacteria Test Could Predict Colon Cancer Progression
- Unique Metabolic Signature Could Enable Sepsis Diagnosis within One Hour of Blood Collection
- Groundbreaking Diagnostic Platform Provides AST Results With Unprecedented Speed
- Simple Blood Test Combined With Personalized Risk Model Improves Sepsis Diagnosis
- Blood Analysis Predicts Sepsis and Organ Failure in Children
- TB Blood Test Could Detect Millions of Silent Spreaders
- New Blood Test Cuts Diagnosis Time for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections from Months to Hours
- New Tuberculosis Test to Expand Testing Access in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
- Rapid Test Diagnoses Tropical Disease within Hours for Faster Antibiotics Treatment
- Rapid Molecular Testing Enables Faster, More Targeted Antibiotic Treatment for Pneumonia