New CRISPR Tool Identifies Multiple Viruses in a Single Test

A research team led by Professor Sung-min Son of Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and the Gladstone Institutes, has developed a new CRISPR-based diagnostic tool that can detect and distinguish multiple viruses in a single test by analyzing how quickly gene editing proteins react. The study introduces a method that uses reaction speed as a unique signal to identify different viruses, including COVID-19 and influenza.

When the CRISPR protein Cas13 detects a virus's RNA, it cleaves surrounding RNA and produces a light signal to indicate the virus's presence. However, identifying multiple viruses at once has typically required several types of gene scissors or various fluorescent reporters, making the process complex and less practical for field use. To address this, the researchers focused on how the speed of Cas13's activity changes depending on the virus it encounters.

The team developed a “kinetic barcoding” system that identifies viruses based on their unique reaction speeds. By adjusting the guide RNA, the method can be tailored to detect multiple viruses using a single tool, while also eliminating the need to convert RNA into DNA. Tests on patient samples successfully distinguished various respiratory viruses and COVID-19 variants in one reaction. “This is the first case of utilizing new information—the reaction speed of gene scissors—for diagnostic,” said Professor Sung-min Son.

For more information, read the article from DongA Science.