2020-02-24 by Quick Biology Inc.
On Feb 23, 2020, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus, which was first detected in Wuhan, China (source). This virus has been officially named “SARS-CoV-2” (formerly called 2019-nCoV), which now has been detected in 32 locations internationally. This virus can be person-to-person transmitted, there are around 80,000 confirmed cases (updated Feb 24, 2020).
(Coronaviruses are so-called because the projections that encircle the capsid resemble a monarch’s crown when viewed under a microscope. BSIP SA / Alamy Stock Photo)
On Jan 30, 2020, WHO (World Health Organization) has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” due to SARS-CoV-2 (source). Researchers from around the world are rapidly obtaining assays and developing vaccines targeting this novel virus. Quick Biology lists some great resources of kits or protocols for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 (2019-nCoV):
- 1. Nature Biotechnology summarized current reliable diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2. Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41587-020-00002-2
- 2. IDT provides robust qPCR reagent (with controls) for SARS-CoV-2. Link: https://www.idtdna.com/pages/landing/coronavirus-research-reagents
- 3. Feng Zhang Lab at Broad-MIT who developed SHERLOCK releases field deployable Lateral flow strips detection protocol using cas13a of SARS-CoV-2. Link: https://www.broadinstitute.org/files/publications/special/COVID-19%20detection%20(updated).pdf
- 4. Mammoth Biosciences releases portable Lateral flow strips detection protocol using cas12 of SARS-CoV-2. Link: https://mammoth.bio/2020/02/15/white-paper-a-protocol-for-rapid-detection-of-sars-cov-2-using-crispr-sars-cov-2-detectr/
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