Deployable CRISPR-Cas13a diagnostic tools to detect and report Ebola and Lassa virus cases in real-time

Barnes, K. G. et al. (2020) Deployable CRISPR-Cas13a diagnostic tools to detect and report Ebola and Lassa virus cases in real-time. Nature Communications, 11, 4131. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17994-9) (PMID:32807807) (PMCID:PMC7431545)

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Abstract

Abstract: Recent outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs), including Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Lassa fever (LF), highlight the urgent need for sensitive, deployable tests to diagnose these devastating human diseases. Here we develop CRISPR-Cas13a-based (SHERLOCK) diagnostics targeting Ebola virus (EBOV) and Lassa virus (LASV), with both fluorescent and lateral flow readouts. We demonstrate on laboratory and clinical samples the sensitivity of these assays and the capacity of the SHERLOCK platform to handle virus-specific diagnostic challenges. We perform safety testing to demonstrate the efficacy of our HUDSON protocol in heat-inactivating VHF viruses before SHERLOCK testing, eliminating the need for an extraction. We develop a user-friendly protocol and mobile application (HandLens) to report results, facilitating SHERLOCK’s use in endemic regions. Finally, we successfully deploy our tests in Sierra Leone and Nigeria in response to recent outbreaks.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Barnes, Dr Kayla
Authors: Barnes, K. G., Lachenauer, A. E., Nitido, A., Siddiqui, S., Gross, R., Beitzel, B., Siddle, K. J., Freije, C. A., Dighero-Kemp, B., Mehta, S. B., Carter, A., Uwanibe, J., Ajogbasile, F., Olumade, T., Odia, I., Sandi, J. D., Momoh, M., Metsky, H. C., Boehm, C. K., Lin, A. E., Kemball, M., Park, D. J., Branco, L., Boisen, M., Sullivan, B., Amare, M. F., Tiamiyu, A. B., Parker, Z. F., Iroezindu, M., Grant, D. S., Modjarrad, K., Myhrvold, C., Garry, R. F., Palacios, G., Hensley, L. E., Schaffner, S. F., Happi, C. T., Colubri, A., and Sabeti, P. C.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
Journal Name:Nature Communications
Publisher:Nature Research
ISSN:2041-1723
ISSN (Online):2041-1723
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Authors
First Published:First published in Nature Communications 11: 4131
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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