Rapid Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Using a Portable peakPCR Platform
2021
Bechtold, Philippe | Wagner, Philipp | Hosch, Salome | Siegrist, Denise | Ruiz-Serrano, Amalia | Gregorini, Michele | Mpina, Maxmillian | Ondó, Florentino Abaga | Obama, Justino | Ayekaba, Mitoha Ondo’o | Engler, Olivier | Stark, Wendelin J. | Daubenberger, Claudia A. | Schindler, Tobias
The need for tools that facilitate rapid detection and continuous monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) is greater than ever, as these variants are more transmissible and therefore increase the pressure of COVID-19 on healthcare systems. To address this demand, we aimed at developing and evaluating a robust and fast diagnostic approach for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 VOC-associated spike gene mutations. Our diagnostic assays detect the E484K and N501Y single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as well as a spike gene deletion (HV69/70) and can be run on standard laboratory equipment or on the portable rapid diagnostic technology platform peakPCR. The assays achieved excellent diagnostic performance when tested with RNA extracted from culture-derived SARS-CoV-2 VOC lineages and clinical samples collected in Equatorial Guinea, Central-West Africa. Simplicity of usage and the relatively low cost are advantages that make our approach well suitable for decentralized and rapid testing, especially in resource-limited settings.
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