TY - JOUR T1 - CRISPR-based DNA and RNA detection with liquid phase separation JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/471482 SP - 471482 AU - Willem Kasper Spoelstra AU - Jeroen M. Jacques AU - Franklin L. Nobrega AU - Anna C. Haagsma AU - Marileen Dogterom AU - Timon Idema AU - Stan J. J. Brouns AU - Louis Reese Y1 - 2018/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/11/20/471482.abstract N2 - The RNA-guided CRISPR endonucleases Cas12a and Cas13a allow detection of specific DNA or RNA sequences in molecular diagnostics applications. Here, we present a novel approach that facilitates sequence detection even with the unaided eye, through solution turbidity arising from liquid-liquid phase separation of nucleic acids and positively charged polyelectrolytes. The simplicity of combining CRISPR-nuclease activity with macroscopic phase separation allows for easy and low-cost detection of specific nucleic acids in a wide range of applications. ER -