<p>Scientists with Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have developed a new technology platform for the fluorometric detection of pathogens such as viruses by measurement of fluorescent light emitted.</p>.<p>The new platform, which can deliver results faster than traditional RT-PCR tests, was designed to detect the novel coronavirus.</p>.<p>But scientists said that it can also be used to detect other DNA/RNA pathogens such as HIV, influenza, HCV, Zika, Ebola, bacteria, and other mutating/evolving pathogens.</p>.<p>Prof T Govindaraju of JNCASR described the invention as a modular platform for the detection of several types of pathogens, be they bacterial or viral in nature.</p>.<p>“The platform works by detecting what we call the non-canonical structure of DNA. A DNA strand is normally visualized as a double helix, but some parts of the DNA can adopt unusual structures such as four-strand or quadruplex structures, which are rich in ‘G’ nucleobase. They are called GQ-structures, which normally appear at the end of the chromosome and also found ubiquitously within genomes,” he said, explaining that the test is geared towards identifying these GQ-structures or other unusual structures.</p>.<p>“We also developed a fluorescent molecule which is able to bind to these non-canonical DNA structures, which allows us to detect the pathogen with a high sensitivity rate,” he added, clarifying that the studies were conducted using a dozen actual viral samples procured from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).</p>.<p>The novel platform, dubbed the GQ-RCP (GQ-Targeted Reliable Conformational Polymorphism) test, is able to provide a faster test result.</p>.<p>“Our technique involves the RT-PCR methods which remains an important technique, but we adopt a simpler and faster isothermal amplification process that works at fixed or constant temperatures. This means that amplification can be performed using a water bath,” Govindaraju explained.</p>.<p>RT-PCR testing involves amplifying the samples across several cycles and different temperatures to determine the result.</p>.<p>Scientists said that the molecular detection platform can be integrated into field-deployable isothermal amplification assays, with more reliability and sequence specificity.</p>.<p>The work has been published recently in the journal ACS Sensors. The team also filed a patent for the novel technology.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
<p>Scientists with Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have developed a new technology platform for the fluorometric detection of pathogens such as viruses by measurement of fluorescent light emitted.</p>.<p>The new platform, which can deliver results faster than traditional RT-PCR tests, was designed to detect the novel coronavirus.</p>.<p>But scientists said that it can also be used to detect other DNA/RNA pathogens such as HIV, influenza, HCV, Zika, Ebola, bacteria, and other mutating/evolving pathogens.</p>.<p>Prof T Govindaraju of JNCASR described the invention as a modular platform for the detection of several types of pathogens, be they bacterial or viral in nature.</p>.<p>“The platform works by detecting what we call the non-canonical structure of DNA. A DNA strand is normally visualized as a double helix, but some parts of the DNA can adopt unusual structures such as four-strand or quadruplex structures, which are rich in ‘G’ nucleobase. They are called GQ-structures, which normally appear at the end of the chromosome and also found ubiquitously within genomes,” he said, explaining that the test is geared towards identifying these GQ-structures or other unusual structures.</p>.<p>“We also developed a fluorescent molecule which is able to bind to these non-canonical DNA structures, which allows us to detect the pathogen with a high sensitivity rate,” he added, clarifying that the studies were conducted using a dozen actual viral samples procured from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).</p>.<p>The novel platform, dubbed the GQ-RCP (GQ-Targeted Reliable Conformational Polymorphism) test, is able to provide a faster test result.</p>.<p>“Our technique involves the RT-PCR methods which remains an important technique, but we adopt a simpler and faster isothermal amplification process that works at fixed or constant temperatures. This means that amplification can be performed using a water bath,” Govindaraju explained.</p>.<p>RT-PCR testing involves amplifying the samples across several cycles and different temperatures to determine the result.</p>.<p>Scientists said that the molecular detection platform can be integrated into field-deployable isothermal amplification assays, with more reliability and sequence specificity.</p>.<p>The work has been published recently in the journal ACS Sensors. The team also filed a patent for the novel technology.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>