scholarly journals Development of an Automated, Non-Enzymatic Nucleic Acid Amplification Test

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1204
Author(s):  
Zackary A. Zimmers ◽  
Alexander D. Boyd ◽  
Hannah E. Stepp ◽  
Nicholas M. Adams ◽  
Frederick R. Haselton

Among nucleic acid diagnostic strategies, non-enzymatic tests are the most promising for application at the point of care in low-resource settings. They remain relatively under-utilized, however, due to inadequate sensitivity. Inspired by a recent demonstration of a highly-sensitive dumbbell DNA amplification strategy, we developed an automated, self-contained assay for detection of target DNA. In this new diagnostic platform, called the automated Pi-powered looping oligonucleotide transporter, magnetic beads capture the target DNA and are then loaded into a microfluidic reaction cassette along with the other reaction solutions. A stepper motor controls the motion of the cassette relative to an external magnetic field, which moves the magnetic beads through the reaction solutions automatically. Real-time fluorescence is used to measure the accumulation of dumbbells on the magnetic bead surface. Left-handed DNA dumbbells produce a distinct signal which reflects the level of non-specific amplification, acting as an internal control. The autoPiLOT assay detected as little as 5 fM target DNA, and was also successfully applied to the detection of S. mansoni DNA. The autoPiLOT design is a novel step forward in the development of a sensitive, user-friendly, low-resource, non-enzymatic diagnostic test.

The Analyst ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 140 (22) ◽  
pp. 7540-7549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhushan J. Toley ◽  
Isabela Covelli ◽  
Yevgeniy Belousov ◽  
Sujatha Ramachandran ◽  
Enos Kline ◽  
...  

A new rapid and sensitive method of isothermal DNA amplification and a simple kinetic model of this reaction network.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Chondrogiannis ◽  
Shirin Khaliliazar ◽  
Anna Toldrà ◽  
Pedro Réu ◽  
Mahiar M. Hamedi

AbstractEnzymes are the cornerstone of modern biotechnology. Achromopeptidase (ACP) is a well-known enzyme that hydrolyzes a number of proteins, notably proteins on the surface of Gram-positive bacteria. It is therefore used for sample preparation in nucleic acid tests. However, ACP inhibits DNA amplification which makes its integration difficult. Heat is commonly used to inactivate ACP, but it can be challenging to integrate heating into point-of-care devices. Here, we use recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) together with ACP, and show that when ACP is immobilized on nitrocellulose paper, it retains its enzymatic function and can easily and rapidly be activated using agitation. The nitrocellulose-bound ACP does, however, not leak into the solution, preventing the need for deactivation through heat or by other means. Nitrocellulose-bound ACP thus opens new possibilities for paper-based Point-of-Care (POC) devices.


2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (44) ◽  
pp. 9101-9104 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Safeenaz Alladin-Mustan ◽  
Catherine J. Mitran ◽  
Julianne M. Gibbs-Davis

The ability to amplify nucleic acid sequences at room temperature without the need for any heating element has been achieved, which has promise in bio-diagnostics employed at the point of care.


Biosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 479
Author(s):  
Soumi Sukla ◽  
Prasenjit Mondal ◽  
Subhajit Biswas ◽  
Surajit Ghosh

Detecting dengue virus (DENV) infection in patients as early as possible makes the disease management convenient. Conventionally, DENV infection is diagnosed by ELISA-based methods, but sensitivity and specificity are major concerns. Reverse-transcription-PCR (RT-PCR)-based detection confirms the presence of DENV RNA; however, it is expensive, time-consuming, and skilled personnel are required. A fluorescence-based detection system that detects DENV RNA in patient’s serum directly, without any nucleic acid amplification step, has been developed. The method uses target-specific complementary sequence in the molecular beacon, which would specifically bind to the DENV RNA. The molecular beacons are approximately 40 bases long hairpin structures, with a fluorophore-quencher system attached at the terminal ends of the stem. These probes are biotinylated in the stem region, so that they can be immobilized on the streptavidin-tagged magnetic beads. These magnetic beads, coupled with biotinylated molecular beacons, are used for the detection of the target RNA in the serum by incubating the mixture. After incubation, beads are separated and re-suspended in a buffer. The measurement of fluorescence is taken in fluorometer after 15 min incubation at 50 °C. The whole work is carried out in a single tube. This rapid method can precisely detect dengue RNA within two hours, confirming ongoing DENV replication in the patient.


The Analyst ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 145 (21) ◽  
pp. 6875-6886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujatha Kumar ◽  
Ryan Gallagher ◽  
Josh Bishop ◽  
Enos Kline ◽  
Joshua Buser ◽  
...  

Long-term dry storage of enzyme-based isothermal amplification reagents in glass fiber porous matrix for use in point-of-care devices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S732-S732
Author(s):  
James Karichu ◽  
Mindy Cheng ◽  
Joanna Sickler ◽  
Julie Munakata ◽  
S Pinar Bilir ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is common in the United States (US). Each year, approximately 12 million people seek medical care for pharyngitis, accounting for ~2% of ambulatory care visits. The gold standard method for diagnosing GAS is culture. However, because culture is time intensive, rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs), with or without culture confirmation, are commonly used. Although RADTs provide results quickly, test sensitivity has been shown to be sub-optimal, which can lead to inappropriate treatment decisions. Recently, highly sensitive point-of-care nucleic acid amplification tests (POC NAAT), such as the cobas® Liat® System, have emerged. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness (CE) and budget impact (BI) of adopting POC NAAT compared with RADT+culture confirmation to diagnose GAS pharyngitis from the US third-party payer perspective. Methods A decision-tree economic model was developed in Microsoft Excel to quantify costs and clinical outcomes associated with POC NAAT and RADT+culture over a one-year period. All model inputs were derived from published literature and public databases. Model outputs included costs and clinical effects measured as quality-adjusted life days (QALDs) lost. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of uncertainty on results. Results CE analysis showed that POC NAAT would cost $44 per patient compared with $78 with RADT+ culture. POC NAAT was associated with fewer QALDs lost relative to RADT+ culture. Therefore, POC NAAT may be considered the “dominant” strategy (i.e., lower costs and higher effectiveness). Findings were robust in sensitivity analyses. BI analysis showed that adopting POC NAAT for diagnosis of GAS could yield cost-savings of 0.3% vs. current budget over 3 years. This is due to savings associated with testing, GAS-related complications, antibiotic treatment and treatment-associated complication costs. Conclusion Results suggest that adopting POC NAAT to diagnose GAS would be considered cost-effective and yield cost-savings for US payers relative to RADT+culture. Access to POC NAAT would be important to optimize appropriate GAS diagnosis and treatment decisions. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


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