Project description:The management of coronavirus disease 2019 has become more complex due to the expansion of available therapies. The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants and mutations further complicates treatment due to their differing susceptibilities to therapies. Here we outline the use of real-time whole genome sequencing to detect persistent infection, evaluate for mutations confering resistance to treatments, and guide treatment decisions.
Project description:COVID-19 is an infectious disease that caused a global pandemic affecting people worldwide. As disease detection and vaccine rollout continue to progress, there is still a need for efficient diagnostic tools to satisfy continued testing needs. This preliminary study evaluated a novel SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test called DirectDetect SARS-CoV-2 Direct Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based on a limited sample size of 24 respiratory samples from 14 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. The test is advantageous compared to others on the market since it does not require viral transport medium or viral RNA extraction prior to nucleic acid amplification and detection. This capability transforms the hours-long sample preparation time into a minutes-long procedure while also eliminating the need for many costly reagents which may be difficult to obtain during the surge in nucleic acid-based testing during the pandemic. The results show a positive agreement of 94.7, 100, and 94.7% between dry sample swabs, treated samples, and untreated samples tested using the DirectDetect SARS-CoV-2 Direct Real-time RT-PCR compared to tests used in a clinical laboratory, respectively. The findings indicate that DirectDetect can be used for multiple different sample types while reducing the number of reagents and time needed for diagnosis. Although this study shows promising results using the DirectDetect results, further validation of this test using a larger sample set is required to assess the true performance of this test.
Project description:Real-time database searching allows for simpler and automated proteomics workflows as it eliminates technical bottlenecks in high throughput experiments. Most importantly, it enables results dependent acquisition (RDA) where search results can be used to guide data acquisition during acquisition. This is especially beneficial for glycoproteomics since the wide range of physicochemical properties of glycopeptides lead to a wide range of optimal acquisition parameters. We established here the GlycoPaSER prototype by extending the Parallel Search Engine in Real-time (PaSER) functionality for real-time glycopeptide identification from fragmentation spectra. Glycopeptide fragmentation spectra were decomposed into peptide- and glycan-moiety spectra using common N-glycan fragments. Each moiety was subsequently identified by a specialized algorithm running in real-time. GlycoPaSER can keep up with the rate of data acquisition for real-time analysis with similar performance to other glycoproteomics software and produces results that are in line with literature reference data. The GlycoPaSER prototype presented here provides the first proof-of-concept for real-time glycopeptide identification that unlocks future development of RDA technology to transcend data acquisition.
Project description:Age-matched K18-hACE2 transgenic mice were infected intranasally with different SARS-CoV-2 viruses, including (1) USA-WA1/2020 (WA) of lineage A, (2) New York-PV09158/2020 (NY) of lineage B.1.3, (3) USA/CA_CDC_5574/2020 (CA) of lineage B.1.1.7 and (4) hCoV-19/South Africa/KRISP-EC-K005321/2020 (SA) of lineage B.1.351. Mouse lungs were harvested on 3 days post infection (dpi). Total RNA was extracted using QIAgen RNeasy Plus Mini Kit and was reverse transcribed using the High-Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Resultant cDNA was used as the template along with RT2 SYBR Green ROX qPCR Mastermix (Qiagen) to perform RT² Profiler™ PCR Array Mouse Hypoxia Signaling Pathway (Qiagen) real-time PCR in Stratagene MX3000p qPCR system.
Project description:Real-time surveillance of airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus is a technological gap that has eluded the scientific community since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Offline air sampling techniques for SARS-CoV-2 detection suffer from longer turnaround times and require skilled labor. Here, we present a proof-of-concept pathogen Air Quality (pAQ) monitor for real-time (5 min time resolution) direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 aerosols. The system synergistically integrates a high flow (~1000 lpm) wet cyclone air sampler and a nanobody-based ultrasensitive micro-immunoelectrode biosensor. The wet cyclone showed comparable or better virus sampling performance than commercially available samplers. Laboratory experiments demonstrate a device sensitivity of 77-83% and a limit of detection of 7-35 viral RNA copies/m3 of air. Our pAQ monitor is suited for point-of-need surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants in indoor environments and can be adapted for multiplexed detection of other respiratory pathogens of interest. Widespread adoption of such technology could assist public health officials with implementing rapid disease control measures.
Project description:Age-matched K18-hACE2 transgenic mice were passively transferred with human COVID-19 mRNA post-vaccination (post-vac) sera followed by the lethal challenge with different SARS-CoV-2 viruses via intranasal route, including (1) New York-PV09158/2020 (NY) of lineage B.1.3 bearing 614G, (2) Kappa (B.1.617.1) and (3) Delta (B.1.617.2). Mouse lungs were harvested on 5 days post infection (dpi). Total RNA was extracted using QIAgen RNeasy Plus Mini Kit and was reverse transcribed using the High-Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Resultant cDNA was used as the template along with RT2 SYBR Green ROX qPCR Mastermix (Qiagen) to perform RT² Profiler™ PCR Array Mouse Hypoxia Signaling Pathway (Qiagen) real-time PCR in Stratagene MX3000p qPCR system.
Project description:Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections have been frequently reported in companion dogs and cats worldwide during the ongoing coronavirus disease. However, RT-qPCR methods developed for humans have been used for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections in suspected companion dogs and cats owing to the lack of the companion animal-tailored methods. Therefore, we developed a multiplex RT-qPCR (mRT-qPCR) using newly designed primers and probes targeting RdRp and N genes of all currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as the canine or feline 16S rRNA gene as an endogenous internal positive control (EIPC) for reliable diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection from suspected dogs and cats. The developed mRT-qPCR assay specifically detected the target genes of SARS-CoV-2 but no other canine or feline pathogens. Furthermore, canine and feline EIPCs were stably amplified by mRT-qPCR in samples containing canine- or feline-origin cellular materials. This assay has high repeatability and reproducibility, with an optimal limit of detection (<10 RNA copies per reaction) and coefficients of variation (<1.0%). The detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 of the developed mRT-qPCR was 6.6% for canine and feline nasopharyngeal samples, which was consistent with that of a commercial mRT-qPCR kit for humans. Collectively, the newly developed mRT-qPCR with canine and feline EIPC can efficiently diagnose and evaluate the viral load in field specimens and will be a valuable tool for etiological diagnosis, epidemiological study, and controlling SARS-CoV-2 infections in canine and feline populations.
Project description:Raw data for our manuscript in prep, titled: "Real time health monitoring through urine analysis: A preliminary observational study."
2019-05-31 | MSV000083880 | MassIVE
Project description:Real-time whole genome sequencing to guide patient tailored therapy of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Project description:With emergence of pandemic COVID-19, rapid and accurate diagnostic testing is essential. This study compared laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) used for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Canadian hospital and public health laboratories, and some commercially available real-time RT-PCR assays. Overall, analytical sensitivities were equivalent between LDTs and most commercially available methods.