Four biology researchers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a CRISPR-associated protein that can be used to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Their paper on their invention, in preprint at bioRxiv.org , brims with innovation and states their new CREST test is “low cost, highly sensitive, and easy to deploy at sites with minimal infrastructure.”
CREST — which stands for Cas13-based, Rugged, Equitable, Scalable Testing — can be done in the field and uses a DIY-inspired heating machine as part of the process. The protein created by Max Wilson, Carolina Arias, Diego Acosta-Alvear, and Kenneth Kosik was edited using CRISPR technology to recognize SARS-CoV2. As the virus invades, Cas13 starts “chewing” on it, Wilson explained. The RNA destruction causes fluorescent indicators to glow in the researchers’ assay immediately. “Our little wells just light up if the virus is present when we mix all these things together,” he said.
The current gold standard for COVID virus detection, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, takes the virus’s RNA, builds the other half into a DNA strand, and duplicates it. Detection involves locating certain points on the strands, but the process requires a proprietary reagent produced in small batches, the paper explains. The limitation has caused delays in the widespread testing needed against the pandemic. The CREST test is "equivalent in sensitivity" to that test.
