Simple, Inexpensive and Sensitive Molecular Test for Detecting SARS-CoV-2 in Saliva Ideal for Frequent Screening

Researchers have developed a simple, inexpensive, and sensitive molecular test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva that is ideal for frequent screening.

WHotLAMP, the rapid molecular test to detect SARS-CoV-2 in saliva developed at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute (New York, NY, USA), is simple to use, highly sensitive (3.6 viral RNA copies per microliter of saliva) and specific, as well as inexpensive, making it ideal for frequent screening. Moreover, WHotLAMP does not require toxic chemicals or specialized equipment and thus, can be performed in point-of-care settings, and may also be adapted for resource-limited environments or home use. While applied here to SARS-CoV-2, WHotLAMP can be modified to detect other pathogens, making it adaptable for other diagnostic assays, including for use in future outbreaks.


In their studies, the researchers showed that WHotLAMP can detect low levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus in saliva in 30 minutes. Its low false-positive rate allows for deployment under conditions of low prevalence, where high test specificity is particularly important to achieve high positive predictive values. The current assay design is already applicable to test at POC settings. Moreover, its single-tube format that requires no centrifugation, is conducive to scaling to 96-well formats, but can also be adapted for home use for frequent self-administered monitoring. While the researchers focused on a test for SARS-CoV-2, this technology could also be used to detect other pathogens that are present in saliva by substituting primers, making WHotLAMP a broadly useful diagnostic assay.


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