SARS-CoV-2 detection using quantum dot fluorescence immunochromatography combined with isothermal amplification and CRISPR/Cas13a

The development of reliable, sensitive, and fast devices for the diagnosis of COVID-19 is of great importance in the pandemic of the new coronavirus. Here, we proposed a new principle of analysis based on a combination of reverse transcription and isothermal amplification of a fragment of the gene encoding the S protein of the SARS-CoV-2 and the CRISPR/Cas13a reaction for cleavage of the specific probe. As a result, the destroyed probe cannot be detected on an immunochromatographic strip using quantum fluorescent dots. Besides, the results can be obtained by an available and inexpensive portable device. By detecting SARS-CoV-2 negative (n = 25) and positive (n = 62) clinical samples including throat swabs, sputum and anal swabs, the assay showed good sensitivity and specificity of the method and could be completed within 1 h without complicated operation and expensive equipment. These superiorities showed its potential for fast point-of-care screening of SARS-CoV-2 during the outbreak, especially in remote and underdeveloped areas with limited equipment and resources. •The combination of QDMs and CRISPR/Cas13a is the first time applied to the nucleic acid detection of COVID-19.•The whole experiment process is simple to operate, without amplification, reducing the probability of pollution.•We report a novel coronavirus detection method with high sensitivity, specificity and good repeatability.•The proposed method has low cost and fast detection speed and is suitable for promotion in remote and underdeveloped areas.