Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Diagnostic SHERLOCK Optimized for Rapid Viral Detection

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 08 May 2018
New technique enables SHERLOCK to detect a virus directly in bodily fluids, eliminating a step that required laboratory equipment and expanding the platform's potential to quickly and cheaply track pathogens such as Zika during an outbreak.

The platform can now be used to detect viruses directly in clinical samples such as blood or saliva, eliminating a processing step that previously required a laboratory environment and professionally trained personnel. More...
The development primes SHERLOCK for use in areas where special training and clinical laboratories can be challenging to access.

Scientists at the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Medical School (Cambridge, MA, USA) has also streamlined SHERLOCK's (Specific High-sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter unLOCKing) capabilities to distinguish related viral species from one another and demonstrated the platform's ability to identify clinically relevant mutations, such as a small mutation in Zika virus that has been associated with microcephaly.

The SHERLOCK diagnostic platform uses a programmed Cas13 enzyme paired with reporter molecules to indicate the presence of a genetic target, such as a virus. Until now, a crucial preliminary step for SHERLOCK involved extracting and isolating nucleic acids from patient samples, which typically requires a laboratory and trained personnel, making it difficult to accomplish in the field.

The team developed a simpler method that allows Cas13 to detect its target directly in bodily fluid samples such as saliva or blood. The process is called HUDSON, or Heating Unextracted Diagnostic Samples to Obliterate Nucleases. It consists of a rapid chemical and heat treatment used on the samples in order to inactivate certain enzymes that would otherwise degrade the genetic targets. The processed clinical samples can then be run through the SHERLOCK procedure, and the final detection results, positive or negative, can be easily viewed on the paper strip. The whole pipeline can be completed in less than two hours.

By pairing HUDSON and SHERLOCK, the team was able to detect Dengue virus directly in patient samples of saliva and blood serum. The platform could also detect Zika virus particles that had been added to healthy blood and urine samples. Additionally, the team designed SHERLOCK reagents that make it even easier and faster to distinguish multiple related viral species (Zika, Dengue, West Nile, and yellow fever) from one another. These improvements are particularly useful when a patient has general symptoms, such as a fever, that could be caused by more than one virus.

Pardis C. Sabeti, DPhil, MD, a professor and senior author of the study said, “Rapid and sensitive tools are critical for diagnosing, surveilling, and characterizing an infection. We've taken the SHERLOCK technology and optimized it in the context of these actual applied biological scenarios.” The study was published on April 27, 2018, in the journal Science.

Related Links:
Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Harvard Medical School

New
Gold Member
Quality Control Material
iPLEX Pro Exome QC Panel
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Hand-Held Immunofluorescence Analyzer
WS-Si1500
New
Autoimmune Disease Diagnostic
Chorus ds-DNA-G
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The RNA-seq based diagnostic test for pediatric leukemia ensures better outcomes for children with this common cancer (Photo courtesy of Qlucore)

RNA-Seq Based Diagnostic Test Enhances Diagnostic Accuracy of Pediatric Leukemia

A new unique test is set to reshape the way Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (BCP-ALL) samples can be analyzed. Qlucore (Lund, Sweden) has launched the first CE-marked RNA-seq based diagnostic test for pediatric... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.