Potential of CRISPR/Cas system in the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Emerging novel infectious diseases and persistent pandemics with potential to destabilize normal life remain a public health concern for the whole world. The recent outbreak of pneumonia caused by Coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) resulted in high mortality due to a lack of effective drugs or vaccines. With a constantly increasing number of infections with mutated strains and deaths across the globe, rapid, affordable and specific detections with more accurate diagnosis and improved health treatments are needed to combat the spread of this novel pathogen COVID-19.

Areas covered

Researchers have started to utilize the recently invented clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR/Cas)-based tools for the rapid detection of novel COVID-19. In this review, we summarize the potential of CRISPR/Cas system for the diagnosis and enablement of efficient control of COVID-19.

Expert opinion

Multiple groups have demonstrated the potential of utilizing CRISPR-based diagnosis tools for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. In coming months, we expect more novel and rapid CRISPR-based kits for mass detection of COVID-19-infected persons within a fraction of a second. Therefore, we believe science will conquer COVID-19 in the near future.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• CRISPR/Cas
• CRISPR/Cas9
• CRISPR/Cas12
• CRISPR/Cas13
• SHERLOCK
• DETECTR
• diagnostics
• infectious disease

Article highlights

• We have highlighted the potential of the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR/Cas system for the effective diagnosis of COVID-19 infections.

• SARS-CoV-2 and its newly evolving mutant variants such as B.1.1.7, B.1.526, P.1 of the CoVs are creating serious health concerns worldwide.

• With a constantly increasing number of infections and deaths across the globe, rapid, affordable, and specific detections with more accurate diagnosis and improved health treatments are needed to combat the spread of COVID-19.

• Presently RT-PCR testing method has been widely used as a highly specific detection method to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, but it has its own limitations.

• The CRISPR/ type II (Cas9), V (Cas12), and VI (Cas13)-based SHERLOCK, DETECTOR tools are projected for the rapid detection of novel COVID-19 are compared.

• We discuss the potential of the CRISPR/Cas system for the rapid diagnosis to enable efficient control of the COVID-19 infections.

Declaration of interest

The author(s) have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article

Additional information

Funding

The research works in our lab are funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India under grant No: [BT/PR21321/GET/119/76/2016].