Synthetic DNA Biosensors with Multivalent Aptamers for Multiple Viruses Diagnostics

Patent Status

Brief Description

Viruses have caused substantial health problems in the world. In 2019, the ravage caused by SARS-CoV-2 highlights the global health danger of emergent pathogens again. Rapid diagnostics of viruses is essential for timely, frequently life-saving treatment.  Rapid diagnostics of viruses is essential for timely, and frequently life-saving, treatment. However, most diagnostic testing methods are only capable of detecting single species of virus. In addition, viruses can mutate rapidly, a process which can render single-target diagnostics ineffective.

UC Berkeley researchers have developed synthetic DNA arrays as a universal platform to bind viruses with multivalent aptamers which is more tolerant to mutations and capable of detecting multiple species of viruses simultaneously.

Suggested uses

• Diagnostic device for detecting multiple variants of viruses simultaneously

Advantages

• scalable manufacture
• cost efficiency
• portability
• reliability