RNA Extraction News and Research

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A digital CRISPR-based method for quick detection and absolute quantification of SARS-CoV-2

In a recent medRxiv* preprint manuscript, researchers from Singapore and the United States report the development of a digital CRISPR method for the sensitive, specific, and rapid detection of viral nucleic acids at a constant temperature, which could be exploited for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

5 Nov 2020

Using pooled wastewater testing to detect COVID-19 cases

A pilot study testing wastewater from buildings as a surveillance method for COVID-19 found it to be a feasible method for detecting positive cases in highly occupied settings like dormitories.

13 Oct 2020

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence in built environments

In a recent paper in an open-access journal, mSystems, published by The American Society for Microbiology, Ceth W. Parker et al. show challenges in recovering the virus, change in infectivity, and the case of viral persistence in built environments.

8 Oct 2020

Easier-to-use coronavirus saliva tests start to catch on

As the coronavirus pandemic broke out across the country, health care providers and scientists relied on the standard method for detecting respiratory viruses: sticking a long swab deep into the nose to get a sample. The obstacles to implementing such testing on a mass scale quickly became clear.

6 Oct 2020

Feasibility of using dry reagents LAMP assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection

In a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv, researchers evaluated the suitability of the Loopamp SARS-CoV-2 Detection kit from Eiken Chemica, Japan, for detecting SARS-CoV-2. This is a LAMP method that uses dry reagents for RNA amplification.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers develop a cheaper, faster and accurate COVID-19 test

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method for fast, cheap, yet accurate testing for COVID-19 infection. The method simplifies and frees the testing from expensive reaction steps, enabling upscaling of the diagnostics.

23 Sep 2020

Bedrails, door handles and ECG monitors hotspots for SARS-CoV-2 in hospital wards

A new study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment in September 2020 reports that the virus can be detected rapidly using already available technology, which will help to monitor viral spread within healthcare facilities more closely and enable better control of the pandemic.

10 Sep 2020

Pooled saliva testing increases COVID-19 testing capacity

Now, a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine and published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows that pooled saliva samples can save resources and increase testing capacity, making a significant difference in the management of the pandemic.

7 Sep 2020

Rapid COVID-19 test could enable point-of-care diagnosis

As COVID-19 continues to spread, bottlenecks in supplies and laboratory personnel have led to long waiting times for results in some areas.

1 Sep 2020

Effective buccal swab RNA extraction for COVID-19 diagnostic testing

Porvair Sciences announces a special version of its popular Homogeniser Spin Column optimized for RNA extraction from buccal swabs.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 26 Aug 2020

New COVID-19 pooling test detects asymptomatic carriers

A new peer-reviewed study published in Science Advances confirms the success of a new COVID-19 pooling test that identifies all positive subjects, including asymptomatic carriers, in a single round of testing.

21 Aug 2020

A triplex SARS-CoV-2 assay based on nanopore sequencing is accurate, rapid and scalable

A novel breakthrough by a research group from Oxford Nanopore Technologies is a rapid way of testing and screening large numbers of samples for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

12 Aug 2020

Launching a rapid test for COVID-19

Professor Zhanfeng Cui from the University of Oxford speaks to News-Medical about his research into COVID-19, and how he developed a rapid COVID-19 test.

5 Aug 2020

New approach could enable wider adoption of COVID-19 testing for diagnosis in research laboratories

Clinician-scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore's (NTU Singapore) Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) have demonstrated a way to improve the speed, handling time and cost of COVID-19 laboratory tests.

27 Jul 2020

Promega Maxwell Extraction System added to CDC COVID-19 diagnostic protocol

Promega Corporation’s Maxwell RSC 48 Instrument and Maxwell RSC Viral Total Nucleic Acid Purification Kit are now in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 diagnostic protocol for emergency use.

From Promega Corporation 21 Jul 2020

Diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-LAMP assay in 25 minutes

Even as COVID-19 continues its inexorable march, taking hundreds of thousands of lives and causing nearly 11 million cases, the diagnosis of the infection is still not sensitive or specific enough. Now, a new study by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and published on the preprint server medRxiv...

3 Jul 2020

New tool to increase accessibility for COVID-19 testing

A research group from the University of California Santa Barbara recently demonstrated a cost-effective, simple, and much less toxic method to isolate host and pathogen nucleic acids and proteins in order to streamline the detection of DNA and RNA viruses – including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

1 Jul 2020

NUS researchers develop portable COVID-19 micro-PCR diagnostic system

COVID-19 screening can soon be conducted directly at various testing stations, and patients can get their test results in about an hour from the time they get a nasal swab.

29 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 saliva testing that omits the RNA extraction step

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses throughout the world, the lack of consistent diagnostic testing has been a bugbear, preventing public health control of the spread of infection. A new study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports a new testing method that uses saliva, does not require RNA extraction, and can be scaled up quickly and inexpensively.

21 Jun 2020

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences’ RNAdvance Viral XP kit listed for use in EUA-authorized COVID-19 testing

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences today announced RNAdvance Viral XP has been added to the list of acceptable extraction methods for use in the Centers for Disease Control’s EUA-authorized COVID-19 test referenced in the FDA’s FAQ on testing for SARS-CoV-2. Laboratories are now permitted to independently validate RNAdvance Viral XP for use.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences 4 Jun 2020