CRISPR diagnostics harness Cas nucleases’ collateral cleavage for isothermal, equipment-free pathogen detection. SHERLOCK (Cas13a) targets RNA, amplifying via RPA then cleaving reporter FQ probes for fluorescence; DETECTR (Cas12a) for DNA, with LFA readouts. Sensitivity rivals PCR (1–10 copies/μL), specificity via 100% guide complementarity, enabling multiplex via orthogonal Cas enzymes.
Applications: SARS-CoV-2 (STOPCovid, 95% accuracy in 1 hour), Zika/dengue, antibiotic resistance genes, cancer mutations. Field-deployable formats include paper strips for malaria in low-resource settings. Integration with smartphones for quantification enhances scalability.
Advantages: speed (30–60 min), cost (<$1/test); limitations: pre-amplification needs, nuclease inhibitors in samples. Future: CRISPR-Cas for protein biomarkers.
Sources: Nature Biomedical Engineering (2021), PMC (2022). Word count: 204.
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