Point-of-care testing for COVID-19 using SHERLOCK diagnostics
Open accessAbstract
The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, can be diagnosed using RT-qPCR, but inadequate access to reagents and equipment has slowed disease detection and impeded efforts to mitigate viral spread. Alternative approaches based on combinations of isothermal amplification and CRISPR-mediated detection, such as the SHERLOCK ( S pecific H igh S ensitivity E nzymatic R eporter Un LOCK ing) technique, offer reduced dependence on RT-qPCR equipment, but previously reported methods required multiple fluid handling steps, complicating their deployment outside clinical labs. Here we developed a simple test chemistry called STOP (SHERLOCK Testing in One Pot) for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in one hour that is suitable for point-of-care use. This simplified test, STOPCovid, provides sensitivity comparable to RT-qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 tests and has a limit of detection of 100 copies of viral genome input in saliva or nasopharyngeal swabs per reaction. Using lateral flow readout, the test returns result in 70 minutes, and using fluorescence readout, the test returns result in 40 minutes. Moreover, we validated STOPCovid using nasopharyngeal swabs from COVID-19 patients and were able to correctly diagnose 12 positive and 5 negative patients out of 3 replicates. We envision that implementation of STOPCovid will significantly aid “test-trace-isolate” efforts, especially in low-resource settings, which will be critical for long-term public health safety and effective reopening of the society.
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Targeting and disrupting PCSK9 with CRISPR/Cas9 technology could offer a treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia.
“This suggests that targeting and disrupting PCSK9 with CRISPR/Cas9 technology could offer a treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia [14].”
From A Review of Research on CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Technology in Disease Treatment (2024) · cites this paper as [14]
The Introduction and Materials and Methods describe a CRISPR-Cas12b test targeting the SARS-CoV-2 N gene, not a treatment. Searches for PCSK9, familial hypercholesterolemia, and cholesterol-related genome editing found no passage addressing the claimed CRISPR/Cas9 treatment. (LLM, conf=0.75)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe team led by Dennis M. K. found that PCSK9 is a gene involved in cholesterol metabolism.
“The team led by Dennis M. K. found that the preprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a gene participated in cholesterol metabolism.”
From A Review of Research on CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Technology in Disease Treatment (2024) · cites this paper as [14]
The Results and Materials and Methods sections discuss a SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic assay and its target, the viral N gene. Searches for PCSK9, cholesterol metabolism, and Dennis M. K. found no passage in our copy addressing the attributed finding; page numbers were not available. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredHumans carrying loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 experience no significant adverse effects and have lower LDL cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of various cardiovascular diseases.
“Humans carrying loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 experience no significant adverse effects and have lower LDL cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of various cardiovascular diseases.”
From A Review of Research on CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Technology in Disease Treatment (2024) · cites this paper as [14]
The Discussion (page unavailable) describes a point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic, not outcomes in people with PCSK9 mutations. Searches for PCSK9 loss-of-function, LDL cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and adverse effects found no passage in our copy addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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A Review of Research on CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Technology in Disease Treatment
Jing, X. (2024) · Academic Journal of Science and Technology · doi:10.54097/5crj2x50
“This suggests that targeting and disrupting PCSK9 with CRISPR/Cas9 technology could offer a treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia [14].”
- Authors
- Joung, J., Ladha, A., Saito, M., Segel, M., Bruneau, R., Huang, M.-L. W., Kim, N.-G., Yu, X., Li, J., Walker, B. D., Greninger, A. L., Jerome, K. R., Gootenberg, J. S., Abudayyeh, O. O., & Zhang, F.
- Affiliations
- Broad Institute (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard (US)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zhang, Feng
- ORCID
- Venue
- medRxiv
- Publisher
- openRxiv
- Published
- 2020-05-08
- PMC
- PMC7273289
- OpenAlex
- W3021896513
- Cited by
- 317
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 72 · 2021: 100 · 2020: 58
- Type
- posted content
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- medRxiv (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- University of Washington
- Open Philanthropy Project
- National Institutes of Health
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (DP1HL141201)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH110049)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 detection, point-of-care testing, CRISPR-based diagnostics, isothermal amplification, lateral flow assay, fluorescence readout, resource-limited settings, nasopharyngeal swab, saliva testing, diagnostic sensitivity
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