Automated PCR Home-Test Device Accurately Detects Covid-19 in Saliva
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 04 Aug 2022 |
A recently developed saliva-based Covid-19 home test combines the simplicity and speed of rapid antigen tests with the accuracy of the gold-standard RT-PCR method.
Rapid antigen tests for the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) antigen from nasal samples provide a fast (15 minutes) result. However, the sensitivity of antigen tests is 30 to 40% lower than nucleic acid testing (PCR), which could miss a significant portion of infected patients.
With the problem of low sensitivity in mind, investigators at Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA, USA) developed a fully integrated SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) device (SLIDE) using a self-collected saliva sample. The five distinct modules of the SLIDE platform conducted all of the steps needed for RT-LAMP: heating the sample, mixing it with RT-LAMP reagents, carrying out the reaction, detecting how much viral RNA was present, and communicating that result to a smartphone.
The individual using the SLIDE platform simply projects saliva into a vial and onto a cartridge that is inserted into the device, and results are sent to a smartphone within 45 minutes.
The investigators reported that the SLIDE device achieved the limit of detection (LoD) of five copies/microliter of the saliva sample, which is comparable with the LoD (six copies/microliter) using FDA-approved quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays with the same heat-lysis saliva sample preparation method. With clinical samples, the SLIDE platform showed a good agreement with the results from the gold-standard RT-PCR method.
The investigators proposed that the SLIDE platform had great potential for performing self-administrated SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing at home with noninvasive saliva samples.
The SLIDE device was described in the August 3, 2022, online edition of the journal ACS Sensors.
Related Links:
Pennsylvania State University
Latest Molecular Diagnostics News
- Blood Proteins Could Warn of Cancer Seven Years before Diagnosis
- New DNA Origami Technique to Advance Disease Diagnosis
- Ultrasound-Aided Blood Testing Detects Cancer Biomarkers from Cells
- New Respiratory Syndromic Testing Panel Provides Fast and Accurate Results
- New Synthetic Biomarker Technology Differentiates Between Prior Zika and Dengue Infections
- Novel Biomarkers to Improve Diagnosis of Renal Cell Carcinoma Subtypes
- RNA-Powered Molecular Test to Help Combat Early-Age Onset Colorectal Cancer
- Advanced Blood Test to Spot Alzheimer's Before Progression to Dementia
- Multi-Omic Noninvasive Urine-Based DNA Test to Improve Bladder Cancer Detection
- First of Its Kind NGS Assay for Precise Detection of BCR::ABL1 Fusion Gene to Enable Personalized Leukemia Treatment
- Urine Test to Revolutionize Lyme Disease Testing
- Simple Blood Test Could Enable First Quantitative Assessments for Future Cerebrovascular Disease
- New Genetic Testing Procedure Combined With Ultrasound Detects High Cardiovascular Risk
- Blood Samples Enhance B-Cell Lymphoma Diagnostics and Prognosis
- Blood Test Predicts Knee Osteoarthritis Eight Years Before Signs Appears On X-Rays
- Blood Test Accurately Predicts Lung Cancer Risk and Reduces Need for Scans