Infectious diseases cause the death of more than 17 million people every year. Although its diagnosis is a critical factor for the effective application of public health management policies, almost half of the world’s population has limited or no access to relevant diagnostic tests.
Many infectious disease diagnoses (IDDs) based on nucleic acid amplification techniques (typically real-time PCR) have become the standard. This type of molecular tests are extremely sensitive and their introduction into the market has revolutionized the field of diagnosis to a certain extent. However, there are several limitations to its large-scale use. Added to the cost and complexity of the reagents necessary to carry out molecular diagnoses is the need to have a cold chain for the conservation of enzymes, in addition to having high-cost equipment and qualified personnel.
Having IDD that is affordable and easy to implement is a global priority. A team from the Antònio Xavier Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology, at the Nova Lisboa University, in Portugal, is working on the development of a new nanoplatform that, according to Mónica Serrano, project leader, “will guarantee fast, simple and chain-free production.” of cold of the enzymes”. This molecular diagnosis based on (RT-)LAMP also does not require highly qualified technicians or bulky equipment.
The team involved in the project has already developed a sensitive and low-cost test for the diagnosis of COVID-19. However, as initially set up, the test still relied on enzyme production and multi-step purification. “We will now make the test even simpler and more affordable by using a stress-resistant biocatalyst platform for the detection of any relevant pathogen,” concludes Serrano.
Transparency statement: This research is funded by the “la Caixa” Foundation, an entity that supports the Big Vang scientific information channel.
