SwabExpress: An end-to-end protocol for extraction-free COVID-19 testing.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The urgent need for massively scaled clinical testing for SARS-CoV-2, along with global shortages of critical reagents and supplies, has necessitated development of streamlined laboratory testing protocols. Conventional nucleic acid testing for SARS-CoV-2 involves collection of a clinical specimen with a nasopharyngeal swab in transport medium, nucleic acid extraction, and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) (1). As testing has scaled across the world, the global supply chain has buckled, rendering testing reagents and materials scarce (2). To address shortages, we developed SwabExpress, an end-to-end protocol developed to employ mass produced anterior nares swabs and bypass the requirement for transport media and nucleic acid extraction.

Methods

We e

SUBMITTER: Srivatsan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7263496 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature