With Crispr, a Possible Quick Test for the Coronavirus – The New York Times, Nytimes.com
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A pioneer of the gene-editing technology has devised a diagnostic test for the infection that could be as simple as a pregnancy test.
Scientists say it remains to be seen how the Crispr technique compares to the standard tests now in use, known as polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, shown here. Credit … Wladimir Bulgar / Science Source
A team of scientists has developed an experimental prototype for a fairly quick, cheap test to diagnose the coronavirus that gives results as simply as a pregnancy test does.
The test is based on a gene-editing technology known as Crispr, and the researchers estimated that the materials for each test would cost about $ 6.
“We’re excited that this could be a solution that people won’t have to rely on a sophisticated and expensive laboratory to run, ”said Feng Zhang, a researcher at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass., an d one of the pioneers of Crispr technology.
On Tuesday, Dr. Zhang and his colleagues posted a description of their device on a website dedicated to their project, but their method has not yet been tested by other scientists, nor have their findings been published by a scientific journal that subjected them to scrutiny by independent experts.
Two other teams of researchers, one in Buenos Aires and the other in San Francisco, are also working to devise new tests to detect the virus using gene-editing technology.
Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, a professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Health, said that it was important that scientists search for new types of tests for the coronavirus. But he cautioned that the research so far offers only a proof of concept, and that it remains to be seen how well the test would perform in real-world conditions compared to the standard tests now in use, known as polymerase chain reaction, or PCR .
“There’s a long way to go from that to a scalable technology that works,” he said. PCR is a venerable technology, invented years ago by the biologist Kary Mullis. It allowed scientists to find pieces of DNA that contained a particular sequence, even if that sequence was extremely rare.
the researchers began by creating special tags that could grab onto the particular piece of genetic material they wanted to find. Once a piece was tagged, they could duplicate it. Repeating this procedure over and over again, PCR could create billions of new copies of the original piece.
For the reactions to finish, the tubes need to sit in water at degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. To see if the coronavirus is present, the researchers devised a procedure similar to a pregnancy test: They stuck a piece of paper in the tube. Two lines appearing on the paper meant the coronavirus was present.
The researchers tried out the test on samples from patients with Covid – 26. For of them, they successfully detected the virus on 3 out of 3 tries. For the th, they succeeded 2 out of 3 times. When they tested five healthy people, all consistently tested negative. The researchers found that the test worked both on nasal swabs and saliva.
The researchers estimate that the materials for one test would come to about $ 6. They are in discussions with manufacturers to create a single cartridge in which the two steps could take place. They expect that with mass production, the cost would go down even further.
Dr. Zhang and his colleagues have set up a website with the instructions for STOPCovid in the hope that other researchers will try out their procedure and find ways to improve it.
according to the guidelines issued by the CDC If there’s space, the sick family member should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. If masks are available, both the sick person and the caregiver should wear them when the caregiver enters the room. Make sure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently. (Should I stock up on groceries?) Plan two weeks of meals if possible. But people should not hoard food or supplies. Despite the empty shelves, the supply chain remains strong. And remember to wipe the handle of the grocery cart with a disinfecting wipe and wash your hands as soon as you get home. (Can I go to the park?)
Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home . Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.
If there’s space, the sick family member should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. If masks are available, both the sick person and the caregiver should wear them when the caregiver enters the room. Make sure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently. 
And remember to wipe the handle of the grocery cart with a disinfecting wipe and wash your hands as soon as you get home. 
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