Rapid detection of DNA/RNA pathogenic sequences or variants through point-of-care diagnostics is valuable for accelerated clinical prognosis, as witnessed during the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Traditional methods relying on qPCR or sequencing are tough to implement with limited resources, necessitating the development of accurate and robust alternative strategies. Here, we report FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay (FELUDA) that utilizes a direct Cas9 based enzymatic readout for detecting nucleobase and nucleotide sequences without trans-cleavage of reporter molecules. We also demonstrate that FELUDA is 100% accurate in detecting single nucleotide variants (SNVs), including heterozygous carriers, and present a simple web-tool JATAYU to aid end-users. FELUDA is semi-quantitative, can adapt to multiple signal detection platforms, and deploy for versatile applications such as molecular diagnosis during infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19. Employing a lateral flow readout, FELUDA shows 100% sensitivity and 97% specificity across all ranges of viral loads in clinical samples within 1hr. In combination with RT-RPA and a smartphone application True Outcome Predicted via Strip Evaluation (TOPSE), we present a prototype for FELUDA for CoV-2 detection closer to home.

Detection of pathogenic sequences or variants inDNA and RNA through a point-of-care diagnostic approach is valuable for rapid clinical prognosis. In recent times, CRISPR based detection of nucleic acids has provided an economical and quicker alternative to sequencing-based platforms which are often difficult to implement in the field. Here, we present FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay (FELUDA) that employs a highly accurate enzymatic readout for detecting nucleotide sequences, identifying nucleobase identity and inferring zygosity with precision. We demonstrate that FELUDA output can be adapted to multiple signal detection platforms and can be quickly designed and deployed for versatile applications including rapid diagnosis during infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19.

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