Rapid, Low-Cost Detection of Zika Virus Using Programmable Biomolecular Components.

Cell
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

The recent Zika virus outbreak highlights the need for low-cost diagnostics that can be rapidly developed for distribution and use in pandemic regions. Here, we report a pipeline for the rapid design, assembly, and validation of cell-free, paper-based sensors for the detection of the Zika virus RNA genome. By linking isothermal RNA amplification to toehold switch RNA sensors, we detect clinically relevant concentrations of Zika virus sequences and demonstrate specificity against closely related Dengue virus sequences. When coupled with a novel CRISPR/Cas9-based module, our sensors can discriminate between viral strains with single-base resolution. We successfully demonstrate a simple, field-ready sample-processing workflow and detect Zika virus from the plasma of a viremic macaque. Our freeze-dried biomolecular platform resolves important practical limitations to the deployment of molecular diagnostics in the field and demonstrates how synthetic biology can be used to develop diagnostic tools for confronting global health crises. PAPERCLIP.

Year of Publication
2016
Journal
Cell
Volume
165
Issue
5
Pages
1255-66
Date Published
2016 May 19
ISSN
1097-4172
URL
DOI
10.1016/j.cell.2016.04.059
PubMed ID
27160350
Links
Grant list
R33 AI100190 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States