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<\/a>The ssNPs are a novel type of biosensors, capable of analyzing single molecules. Such analysis has immense medical and research value, since it can replace common diagnosis methods based on analysis of bulk solution. Such methods suffer from multiple disadvantages, including high costs, cumbersome lab equipment and insufficient accuracy.<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/a>To explain the leap provided by the ssNP devices, the researchers used the example of Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Existing Coronavirus tests are based on RT-qPCR technology, which requires a complicated process of collecting a sample from the patient using a swab, \u201copening\u201d the virus to extract its genetic material, extracting the RNA, and reverse-transcription of the RNA to DNA. But that is not the end. For the existing equipment to detect the presence of viruses in the sample, a massive <\/span>amplification<\/b> (PCR) is performed, doubling the amount of DNA over and over until a sufficient amount is reached. Not only is the process long and expensive, but the amplification stage can sometimes cause <\/span>significant errors<\/b> in detecting the presence of the virus, i.e., in determining whether a patient is positive or negative for COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n
The diagnostic process developed in Meller\u2019s lab completely obviates the amplification stage, allowing direct counting and quantifying samples of the virus\u2019 RNA, as well as normal human RNA molecules simultaneously. In this fashion, precious time can be saved, and mistakes may be avoided. The new method is based on <\/span>drawing individual biological molecules<\/b>, such as DNA and RNA, by means of an electric field, into a <\/span>nanopore containing an electrical sensor<\/b>. The output undergoes an analysis which allows <\/span>direct and immediate identification and quantification of the molecules<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/a>The technology was originally developed to detect tumor-associated RNA biomarkers that make it possible to diagnose cancer in its early stages. A short while after the COVID-19 epidemic, Prof. Meller\u2019s group started working on adjusting this technology to address the urgent need for fast and precise Coronavirus tests. Proof of concept results showed the efficiency of this method in detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 even when the sample contained only trace amounts of the virus. This method, named \u201cRT-qNP\u201d, was recently published in <\/span>ACS Nano<\/span><\/i><\/a>. RT-qNP development was led by a post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Yana Rozevsky, in Prof. Meller\u2019s lab, in collaboration with colleagues in Charit\u00e9 hospital in Berlin. The work has been supported by Prof. Meller\u2019s ERC grant awarded by the European Union.<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The European Union has awarded another grant to the research group of Professor Amit Meller of the Technion Faculty of Biomedical Engineering for their OpiPore project. The aim of OpiPore is to advance novel technology for analyzing single molecules, including detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA molecules. To do this, the researchers are developing a… Continue Reading Sensing the virus one molecule at a time<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n