Abstract
The recent outbreak of novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19 disease, has spread rapidly all over the world. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is another deadly virus and causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Rapid and early detection of these viruses will facilitate early intervention and prevent disease spread. Here, we present an All-In-One Dual CRISPR-Cas12a (termed "AIOD-CRISPR") assay method for simple, rapid, ultrasensitive, specific, one-pot, and visual detection of coronavirus SARS-CoV- 2 and HIV-1 virus. In our AIOD-CRISPR assay, a pair of crRNAs was introduced to initiate dual CRISPR-Cas12a-based detection and improve both detection sensitivity and fluorescence signals. The AIOD-CRISPR assay method was utilized to detect nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) of the SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 with a sensitivity of few copies. We validated our AIOD-CRISPR method by using COVID-19 swab samples and obtained consistent results with that of RT-PCR method. More importantly, we successfully demonstrated to use a low- cost hand warmer (~$ 0.3) as an incubator of our AIOD-CRISPR assay and detect COVID-19 patient samples within 20 minutes, enabling an instrument-free, visual detection of COVID-19 at the point of care. Thus, our method has significant potential for developing next-generation point-of-care molecular diagnostics.
Design and Development of Low Cost, Simple, Rapid and Safe, Modified Field Kits for the Visual Detection and Determination of Arsenic in Drinking Water Samples