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“Our goal was to develop a nucleic acid detection kit for coronaviruses and other viruses that could detect viruses directly from a sample without additional processing of the sample. This work has been successfully completed: a special detection kit has been developed to help identify unique applications of certain specific genes, ”says Professor Algirdas Utkus in the report.
He said the current gold standard in diagnosing Covid-19 around the world is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which takes a sample from the nasopharynx and looks for viral RNA.
According to the professor, a timely PCR test is accurate, but its results can be obtained after six hours or even a day because it requires preparatory work. At that point, the method developed by the VU researchers can cut research time in half.
Unlike the PCR method, the test does not use a sample from the nasopharynx, but rather blood, urine, or stool.
The working principle of the new method is similar to current tests in that it also includes genetic tests that allow the reliable identification of COVID-19.
“Our new method for the detection of viral nucleic acids in these biological samples, which is already applied under experimental conditions, will be possible to implement in practice after further research,” commented A.Utkus.
According to him, if the method works successfully under “working conditions”, it could be patented and put into use in March or April.
Photo by Vidmantas Balkūnas / 15min / Algirdas Utkus
“While the new COVID-19 research method may not be the main one at present, it would certainly be useful and effective in addition to those already in use,” said the professor.
According to A.Utkus, it could also be applied to identify other respiratory viruses that are repeated every year, for example, in cases of influenza A, influenza B.
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