RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A rapid, highly sensitive and open-access SARS-CoV-2 detection assay for laboratory and home testing
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.06.23.166397
DO 10.1101/2020.06.23.166397
A1 Max J. Kellner
A1 James J. Ross
A1 Jakob Schnabl
A1 Marcus P.S. Dekens
A1 Robert Heinen
A1 Irina Grishkovskaya
A1 Benedikt Bauer
A1 Johannes Stadlmann
A1 Luis Menéndez-Arias
A1 Andrew D. Straw
A1 Robert Fritsche-Polanz
A1 Marianna Traugott
A1 Tamara Seitz
A1 Alexander Zoufaly
A1 Manuela Födinger
A1 Christoph Wenisch
A1 Johannes Zuber
A1 Vienna Covid-19 Detection Initiative (VCDI)
A1 Andrea Pauli
A1 Julius Brennecke
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/09/13/2020.06.23.166397.abstract
AB Global efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 still heavily rely on RT-qPCR-based diagnostic tests. However, their high cost, moderate throughput and reliance on sophisticated equipment limit widespread implementation. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification after reverse transcription (RT-LAMP) is an alternative detection method that has the potential to overcome these limitations. We present a rapid, robust, sensitive and versatile RT-LAMP based SARS-CoV-2 detection assay. Our forty-minute procedure bypasses a dedicated RNA isolation step, is insensitive to carry-over contamination, and uses a hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB)-based colorimetric readout, which allows robust SARS-CoV-2 detection from various sample types. Based on this assay, we have substantially increased sensitivity and scalability by a simple nucleic acid enrichment step (bead-LAMP), established a pipette-free version for home testing (HomeDip-LAMP), and developed open source enzymes that can be produced in any molecular biology setting. Our advanced, universally applicable RT-LAMP assay is a major step towards population-scale SARS-CoV-2 testing.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.