key: cord-0748503-t0p62t5d
authors: Chakraborty, Debojyoti; Agrawal, Anurag; Maiti, Souvik
title: Rapid identification and tracking of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
date: 2021-03-23
journal: Lancet
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00470-0
sha: dc6701100c4247e3ed5bcab0995fdabfe1375952
doc_id: 748503
cord_uid: t0p62t5d

nan

In the past few months, we have seen emergence of clinically important mutations that alter infectivity, severity, or immune susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2. such as pore-based technologies, are anticipated to contribute substantially to this process in the near future, being capable of diagnosis, variant calling, genealogy, and novel mutant detection. Until then, we propose an alternative approach for low-resolution, yet accurate, early detection of specific variants of concern through clustered interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) diagnostics, which rely on the specific DNA interrogation properties of enzymes, such as FnCas9, Cas12, or Cas13, to identify variants of concern through fluorescence or paper stripbased diagnosis (appendix). 4 Such tests are rapid, inexpensive, and especially suited for low-income countries. Even where sequencing is being done, CRISPR diagnostics can help to isolate variants in the first instance, which can then be sequenced to validate and map coexisting mutations (appendix). We have used this approach to identify the Asn501Tyr variant of concern, starting from RNA. 5 The variant detection strategy (ie, rapid variant assay) can be readily combined with a CRISPR diagnostics platform that is already approved as an equivalent diagnostic method to quantitative real-time PCR in India, providing diagnosis and identification of one variant of concern in less than 90 min from sample to result, at a test cost of less than US$15. The coming months present a challenging scenario: tracking and controlling the spread of such variants and simultaneously understanding their effects on the pandemic. Largescale sequencing efforts and tailormade diagnostic solutions, such as CRISPR diagnostics will be crucial. DC and SM have filed patents relevant to the work and are inventors of a CRISPR diagnostic licensed to Tata Medical and Diagnostics. AA declares no competing interests.

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RAY: CRISPR diagnostic for rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV2 variants on a paper strip