Experts from various institutions, including the University of Barcelona (UB), the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), the Barcelona Microelectronics Institute (IMB-CNM-CSIC) and the Aragon Institute of Nanoscience and Materials (INMA), have successfully developed a new methodology for detecting viral RNA, which is faster than the PCR test. This innovative method, known as the Triplex Enhanced Nucleic Acid Detection Assay (TENADA), uses poly-purine clamps to capture the viral RNA and forms a high-affinity triplex, allowing the detection of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 without requiring reverse transcriptase or a thermal cycler. The interdisciplinary work, led by Carlos J. Ciudad and Verónica Noé, has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Furthermore, this technology has been licensed to the company Nanoimmunotech through the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG-UB), showing promising antiviral applications and forming the basis of a patent that has already been licensed.
See the article on the UB’s website.
* Cover image from Freepik.