DNA Nanotechnology for Quick and Sensitive Detection of Nucleic Acids in Point-of-Care (POC) Diagnosis Applications
CheapSimpleFastCan be done anywhere
Point of care diagnosisDetection of bacteria or virus in water or other solutionsDetection of particular nucleic acids (crime scenes)
Researchers led by Dino Di Carlo from the Department of Bioengineering at UCLA have developed a quick, cheap, and accurate method to diagnose viral or bacterial infections. Their new method provides the accuracy of cutting edge diagnostic technologies without the cost or complexity. Unlike the expensive, state of the art diagnostic solutions their methodology does not need finely tuned reaction conditions and expensive equipment. Their new diagnostic test can be done at room temperature using a simple mixture and provides accurate diagnoses within 10 minutes. They have done experiments in which they were able to detect influenza RNA with low concentrations at the pico-molar scale (10-12).
Background Quick, simple, and accurate diagnostics are essential for providing point of care medical services. This allows a physician to collect samples and provide a diagnosis in the same visit as opposed to having to wait days or weeks after coming. The simplicity of a diagnostic test also provides easier access for medical care in underserved areas. Simple conventional diagnostic approaches often suffer from having a high false negative rate, and to increase the accuracy of diagnostic tests require the use of state of the art technologies that have highly complicated protocols along with having high costs. This scenario leaves the patients, especially in underserved areas, without a cheap and accurate means to diagnose diseases. Additional Technologies by these Inventors Tech ID/UC Case 29419/2017-99I-0 Related Cases 2017-99I-0
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