A precise review on NAATs‐based diagnostic assays for COVID‐19: A motion in fast POC molecular tests

Abstract

Background Diagnosis is one of the main strategies to deal with infectious and deadly diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). The global pandemic of COVID‐19 has led to an immediate need to expand rapid diagnostic techniques. New isothermal‐based methods are being developed for COVID‐19 detection aiming to resolve the limitations related to the reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) method through immediate samples processing and minimizing false‐negative or ambiguous results. Advances in nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAATs) can provide affordable and easy‐to‐use diagnostic platforms with high sensitivity and specificity in order to be available to the public as approved commercial kits. Aims The development of point‐of‐care (POC) testing can assist in rapid clinical decision‐making and mitigate burdens on health care facilities. Finally, we discussed the different diagnostic methods based on NAATs for COVID‐19 in detail. Comparative parameters are addressed for all assays and Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA)‐approved commercial tests are cited. Conclusions Isothermal‐coupled methods and LAMP‐based molecular methods have been suggested as suitable portable tests with high diagnostic speed for use in POC testing.

Facile and Unplugged Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor with NIR-Emitting Perovskite Nanocomposites for Fast Detection of SARS-CoV-2

“…Although biosensors using advanced sensing technology allow for accurate detection of most pathogens, detection methods for highly pathogenic viruses have been primarily centralized in large labs due to the need for complex instrumentation and well-trained technicians. − Consequently, people have to travel to hospitals with large labs for diagnosis and often wait for several days for results . However, the global pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in recent years tells us that an easy-to-operate, field-deployable biosensing platform could provide a great help in preventing the spread of the disease − since portable platforms could be transported to regions lacking large labs for on-site detection . This need has driven researchers to develop sensitive portable biosensing platforms targeting biomarkers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) such as antibodies, nucleic acids, antigens, and metabolic products .…”

“…Recently, advanced nucleic acid amplification techniques, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat and loop-mediated isothermal amplification, have been considered and developed as suitable options for field-deployable diagnostic platforms because they do not need a complex apparatus and rapid assay times. ,− While these platforms typically exhibit high sensitivity and specificity for COVID-19 diagnosis, many require an additional step for virus RNA extraction. However, portable biosensing platforms must detect analytes in a label-free, direct, and simple manner for on-site use, as measuring analyte derivatives or using multiple reagents is difficult and impractical .…”

“… 6 Among these, serology tests measuring serum antibodies (like IgG or IgM against SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins) are inexpensive and easy but have relatively high false-negative and false-positive rates. 3 Moreover, measuring gaseous molecules in the composition of metabolites is still in development and can be affected by alcohol. 7 Thus, detecting the RNAs (nucleic acids) and proteins (antigens) of SARS-CoV-2 are the most competitive candidates for COVID-19 diagnosis.…”

“…Although biosensors using advanced sensing technology allow for accurate detection of most pathogens, detection methods for highly pathogenic viruses have been primarily centralized in large labs due to the need for complex instrumentation and well-trained technicians. − Consequently, people have to travel to hospitals with large labs for diagnosis and often wait for several days for results . However, the global pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in recent years tells us that an easy-to-operate, field-deployable biosensing platform could provide a great help in preventing the spread of the disease − since portable platforms could be transported to regions lacking large labs for on-site detection .…”

Denaturation bubble-mediated two-stage isothermal nucleic acid amplification in a single closed tube

“…Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) have increasingly become the modality of choice for the identification and quantification of specific nucleic acid sequences in clinical diagnosis due to their excellent sensitivity and specificity. 1,2 Compared with the conventional nucleic acid testing methods, such as Southern blotting and Northern blotting, NAATs include a step of signal amplification before the detection step, enabling them to detect targets with much lower abundance. 3,4 The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most used amplification method and has been considered a powerful tool for detecting trace amounts of nucleic acid targets.…”