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.

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum associated with poor prognosis and high mortality

A new preprint indicates the direct correlation between the presence of detectable viral RNA loads in serum, and clinical severity and death.

21 Dec 2020

Cross-reactive coronavirus antibodies shape COVID-19 convalescent plasma functionality

The onset of the current COVID-19 pandemic revealed the seventh known pathogenic human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

21 Dec 2020

AOAC INTERNATIONAL issues Certificates of Validation for three test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2

AOAC INTERNATIONAL announced today that it has issued Certificates of Validation for three proprietary test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 illness, on environmental surfaces.

18 Dec 2020

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

Researchers at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Bogotá, Colombia, provided evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 deaths in terms of age, sex, ethnicity, type of health insurance regime, and socioeconomic status.

18 Dec 2020

Rapid no-frills detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva with LAMP-Cas13

A new paper that appeared as a preprint on the medRxiv* server in December 2020 describes a nucleic acid test validated on saliva samples.

18 Dec 2020

Rapid point-of-care lateral flow assay to assess the neutralizing activity of plasma against SARS-CoV-2

A new paper describes the development and validation of a rapid test to measure the neutralizing activity of serum against COVID-19 using a drop of blood.

18 Dec 2020

Continued vigilance is required in England following exit from second lockdown

Researchers in the UK have presented data from the latest in a series of community surveys assessing the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in England.

17 Dec 2020

High presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in PCR test can predict future symptomatic disease

A new study by researchers at the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden shows that testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid can help in containing the virus spread. Detecting the presence of high amounts of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid predicts future symptomatic disease, they found.

17 Dec 2020

$3.7 million NIH grant supports development of biosensor technology for diagnosing viral diseases

For over ten years, Ali Yanik has been working to develop novel biosensor technology to provide rapid, low-cost testing for disease diagnostics and precision medicine.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed to be part of chimeric viral-human genome

A new study reveals that the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is inserted into the human genome, accounting for the detection of viral RNAs.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

While participating in the SPHERES Consortium project, US researchers sequenced 2,726 clinical patient specimens gathered in March 2020 and identified eight unique ORF7a deletion variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Their results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

15 Dec 2020

World Health Organization issues notice for in vitro diagnostics users

Nucleic acid testing (NAT) technologies that use real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2.

14 Dec 2020

WVU, DHHR team up to create new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Morgantown

To address the challenges of COVID-19 testing shortages and lagging turnaround times, West Virginia University and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources have teamed up to create a new testing laboratory at the Health Sciences Center thanks to funding made possible by Gov. Jim Justice.

11 Dec 2020

Case study suggests kindergartens are not SARS-CoV-2 super-spreaders

A new study by researchers at the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health at the Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin found that kindergartens are not silent transmission reservoirs.

11 Dec 2020

Saliva-based smartphone COVID-19 testing platform provides results within 15 minutes

Offering an ultrasensitive yet accessible approach to COVID-19 testing, a portable saliva-based smartphone platform provides results within 15 minutes without the resource-intensive laboratory tests the current gold standard requires, according to a new study.

11 Dec 2020

Current testing-isolation policies effectively prevent campus transmission of COVID-19

A new study, shows that while students showed a high degree of compliance with restrictive measures, they continued to contract the infection from off-campus.

11 Dec 2020

Rapid lateral flow immunoassay enables fluorescence detection of SARS-Cov-2 RNA

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for rapid and accurate nucleic acid detection at the point of care. To meet this need, scientists from the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology have developed a novel amplification-free rapid SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection platform based on hybrid capture fluorescence immunoassay (HC-FIA).

11 Dec 2020

Hydroxychloroquine found ineffective as post-exposure SARS-CoV-2 prophylaxis

Now, a study on the utility of hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis against COVID-19, has been released in the latest issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

10 Dec 2020

Single N primer sufficient for SARS-CoV-2 molecular diagnosis

There is a huge and growing demand for better molecular diagnostic tests for COVID-19, as the pandemic shows few signs of coming under control.

10 Dec 2020

Could anterior nasal swabs be an effective alternative for SARS-CoV-2 testing?

Researchers from various institutions in Germany and Switzerland recently performed a prospective diagnostic accuracy study, in which they compared professional-collected anterior nasal swabs to nasopharyngeal swabs, using WHO-listed SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDT (STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test, SD Biosensor) test kits.

10 Dec 2020

Polymerase Chain Reaction News and Research

Further Reading

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum associated with poor prognosis and high mortality

Cross-reactive coronavirus antibodies shape COVID-19 convalescent plasma functionality

AOAC INTERNATIONAL issues Certificates of Validation for three test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

Rapid no-frills detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva with LAMP-Cas13

Rapid point-of-care lateral flow assay to assess the neutralizing activity of plasma against SARS-CoV-2

Continued vigilance is required in England following exit from second lockdown

High presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in PCR test can predict future symptomatic disease

$3.7 million NIH grant supports development of biosensor technology for diagnosing viral diseases

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed to be part of chimeric viral-human genome

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

World Health Organization issues notice for in vitro diagnostics users

WVU, DHHR team up to create new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Morgantown

Case study suggests kindergartens are not SARS-CoV-2 super-spreaders

Saliva-based smartphone COVID-19 testing platform provides results within 15 minutes

Current testing-isolation policies effectively prevent campus transmission of COVID-19

Rapid lateral flow immunoassay enables fluorescence detection of SARS-Cov-2 RNA

Hydroxychloroquine found ineffective as post-exposure SARS-CoV-2 prophylaxis

Single N primer sufficient for SARS-CoV-2 molecular diagnosis

Could anterior nasal swabs be an effective alternative for SARS-CoV-2 testing?

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest Life Science News