A more sensitive than ever before SARS-CoV-2 detection method has been developed by researchers in Szeged

Oct 7, 2020 | News

Péter Vilmos and his colleagues improved a pooling-based PCR technique, that has been already used in veterinary medicine for years, to make it suitable for mass testing of SARS-CoV-2. The system allows testing thousands of samples simultaneously, and is capable of detecting infection in asymptomatic patients as well. The procedure is based on the so-called RT-qPCR method and is a cost-efficient, reliable and sensitive detection system due to the introduction of many innovations.

The swab samples are combined in two steps, so that the dilution of the virus occurs only in one of the pooling steps, which causes minimal loss of sensitivity. The accuracy of the procedure is ensured by the simultaneous detection of 3 different virus genes, therefore if one of the primer pairs is not working for some reason, the two other primers can still reliably confirm the infection.

This new method can help not only with the current pandemic, but also in the case of other pathogens that will emerge in the future.

For more details please follow the link: https://elkh.org/hirek/minden-eddiginel-erzekenyebb-modszert-fejlesztettek-ki-szegedi-kutatok-a-koronavirus-kimutatasara/