Minimally Instrumented SHERLOCK (miSHERLOCK) for CRISPR-Based Point-of-Care Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2
Hosted By: Molecular Probes and Nanobio-optics Technical Group
15 November 2021 13:00 - 14:00
Eastern Time (US & Canada) (UTC -05:00)The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for diagnostics that can be rapidly adapted and deployed in a variety of settings. Several SARS-CoV-2 variants have shown worrisome effects on vaccine and treatment efficacy, but no current point-of-care (POC) testing modality allows their specific identification.
In this webinar from the Molecular Probes and Nanbio-Optics Technical Group, Dr. Helena De Puig from the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology will discuss the development of miSHERLOCK, a low-cost, CRISPR-based POC diagnostic platform that takes unprocessed patient saliva; extracts, purifies, and concentrates viral RNA; performs amplification and detection reactions; and provides fluorescent visual output with only three user actions and 1 hour from sample input to answer out. A fluorescien agent, LED excitation source, and optical filter are part of the optical imaging system for the mi-SHERLOCK system.
The miSHERLOCK system achieves highly sensitive multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 and mutations associated with variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1. The modular system enables easy exchange of assays to address diverse user needs and can be rapidly reconfigured to detect different viruses and variants of concern. An adjunctive smartphone application enables output quantification, automated interpretation, and the possibility of remote, distributed result reporting.
Subject Matter Level: Intermediate - Assumes basic knowledge of the topic
What You Will Learn:
- Developments in point-of-care (POC) diagnostics of SARS-Cov-2 variants
- CRISPR based POC platforms
- Smartphone integration of novel POC diagnostic platforms
Who Should Attend:
- Researchers, scientists, and students developing POC platforms, researching SARS-Cov-2 and working towards smartphone compatible POC diagnostic tools
About the Presenter: Helena De Puig, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Puig is a postdoctoral researcher in the Broad Institute at MIT. Dr. Puig uses synthetic biology principles to build new molecular diagnostics and smart materials. Dr. Puig has been awarded over $350,000 in prestigious fellowships in Spain and at MIT. Dr. Puig earned a S.M. in Mechanical Engineering at MIT under the guidance of Dr. Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli and then obtained a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, in the laboratory of Prof. Lee Gehrke where she developed nanoparticle-assisted detection methods to diagnose tropical diseases, such as dengue, zika, chikungunya or ebola. She is a co-inventor on 11 patent applications and has published over 20 articles in journals including Science and Science Translation Medicine.
