2023-06-22 21:44:00
researchers from Pennsylvania State Universityin the United States, developed a new digital test that can measure the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and all it takes is a single drop of blood. christening of STAMPthe method promises to be faster than RT-PCR.
This study was published in ACS Nano and aims to become a faster and more practical alternative than the standard method currently used. The author of the research is called Weihua Guan and he considers this project a great step towards diagnosing this and other infectious diseases. Furthermore, he explains how it works:
Here’s how it works: we take a small sample of a person’s blood and extract the viral RNA — the genetic material of the virus — from them. […] We then mix that RNA with a special protein called Cas13, which is part of the CRISPR system.
The new technology allows for a more direct approach and, in addition to being faster than the traditional method, it also generates a lower cost, in addition to requiring less blood to work. In this sense, Guan also claims that it is possible to determine the amount of HIV present in the patient’s blood.
In general, the author considers this project revolutionary and that it will allow researchers to direct and manipulate RNA sequences. Not only that, but the researcher argues that the method has great potential for advancing HIV viral load monitoring. Finally, also see the discovery of how the virus can become dormant in the brain and a study that indicated treatment with propolis.
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