Polymerase Chain Reaction News and Research

RSS

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a revolutionary laboratory technique that enables the replication of a specific DNA sequence. Using PCR, millions of copies of a target DNA can be easily synthesized within a short period of time.

Study finds minimal SARS-CoV-2 viral load in vaginal secretions

The virus has also been observed to be present in blood, urine, feces, and tears, though not in semen. Vaginal secretions have not been consistently shown to be positive for the virus in most studies. The authors of a new study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine affirm that the presence of the virus in the vagina is rare, irrespective of pregnancy.

28 Jun 2021

Lambda lineage of SARS-CoV-2 has potential to become variant of concern

Researchers have described the first reported infection with the C.37 (Lambda) lineage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Southern Brazil.

27 Jun 2021

New tablet-sized device can profile multiple COVID-19 antibodies and biomarkers simultaneously

Biomedical engineers at Duke University in the USA have developed a device that detects coronavirus disease (COVID-19) antibodies as well as biomarkers that distinguish between antibodies produced in response to SARS-CoV-2 and four other coronaviruses with complete accuracy.

24 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant likely to become dominant in the United States

Researchers have conducted a study showing that the B.1.1.7 lineage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that emerged in the UK is now rapidly being displaced as the dominant strain in the United States by the variants of concern B.1.617.2 (Delta) and P.1 (Gamma) that emerged in India and Brazil, respectively.

23 Jun 2021

Research suggests people living with HIV/AIDS may be less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in India have conducted a study showing that the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – was lower among people living with HIV and AIDS than among the general population.

23 Jun 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 alter the expression of molecules involved in the homeostasis of blood pressure?

A recent study finds that COVID-19 alters the expression of several molecules involved in the homeostasis of blood pressure.

22 Jun 2021

Coronaviruses identified in two species of Sri Lankan bats

Researchers sampled different species of bats roosting in the Wavul Galge cave in Sri Lanka and found two species harboring alpha- and beta-coronaviruses.

22 Jun 2021

Scientists develop low-cost lab-on-paper device for rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the University of Connecticut, USA, has developed a low-cost lab-on-paper technology to rapidly and easily detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The work has recently been published in a Royal Society of Chemistry’s Lab on a Chip journal.

18 Jun 2021

COVID-19 outbreak in Mauritius dominated by new SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.318

Underlining the key role of genomic surveillance in keeping tabs on the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a new medRxiv* preprint shows how a new variant called B.1.1.318 rose to dominance in the small island country of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

18 Jun 2021

Cinnamon compound could be useful supplement to dexamethasone in COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in Germany and the United States have conducted a study showing that supplementing dexamethasone treatment with Ceylon cinnamon in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may allow dexamethasone to be administered at lower doses, thereby avoiding the side effects that occur with high doses of the steroid.

17 Jun 2021

Research may lead to rapid, accurate, point-of-care testing for COVID

A team of scientists headed by SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) at Osaka University demonstrated that single virus particles passing through a nanopore could be accurately identified using machine learning.

17 Jun 2021

New insight into SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine breakthrough infections

In the current study, vaccine breakthrough infections were noted in 24 people who had previously received COVID-19 vaccines.

17 Jun 2021

Could wastewater epidemiology help track the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants?

In a new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, researchers from Germany, Italy and Netherlands demonstrated the utility of integrating genomic and wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) to provide unprecedented insight into the abundance of SARS-CoV-2 and the profile of the mutations associated with the VOCs (i.e., B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and B.1.617.2) in the wastewater samples.

17 Jun 2021

Different comorbid conditions in COVID-19 patients can impact outcomes of positive PCR test results

New study results indicate that different comorbid conditions affecting individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 may impact how long they continue to receive positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results.

17 Jun 2021

CDC study looks at SARS-CoV-2 testing among returning cruise ship travelers

In a recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv*, a group of researchers discusses the RT-PCR results and symptoms experienced by the travelers to illustrate the viral dynamics during asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 infection.

15 Jun 2021

How to vaccinate nations against SARS-CoV-2

The researchers examined the effect of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign on 250 different Israeli cities with distinct demographic and ethnic characteristics.

15 Jun 2021

Could urine tests predict kidney injury and mortality in COVID-19?

A team of scientists from the Columbia University, New York, has recently identified a potential biomarker to predict acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients. By analyzing urine samples of 444 COVID-19 patients, they have revealed that the urinary level of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) can be used to determine the severity and duration of acute kidney and tubular injuries, as well as to predict the risk of mortality in acute COVID-19 patients.

15 Jun 2021

Analysis of COVID-19 patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests

New research published on the medRxiv preprint server provides a detailed analysis of COVID-19 patients who had repeated positive PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large US COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) database.

15 Jun 2021

South African and Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 variants overtake UK variant in French regions

Researchers have found that the variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that were initially identified in South Africa (B.1.351) and Brazil (P.1) appear to be spreading more quickly in some areas of France than the previously dominant UK variant B.1.1.7.

14 Jun 2021

COVID-19 PCR tests can withstand freeze-drying process

In fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, it's not just the vaccines that require complicated cold supply chains and refrigerated storage. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests -- often considered the "gold standard" of testing -- also have enzymes and reagents that need to be frozen.

14 Jun 2021