Researchers from the University
of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil have developed a platform that analyzes
clinical samples from patients to diagnose infection by 416 viruses found in
the world's tropical regions. The
researchers and developers state the tool can be used by reference laboratories
such as Adolfo Lutz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and Evandro Chagas
Institute in Brazil to assist epidemiological surveillance by detecting
pathogens with the potential to cause epidemics in humans. The platform consists of a DNA microarray
slide with eight identical sub-arrays containing viral probes replicated at
least three times to complete the array with 15,000 probes. Each probe contains
the sequences for 60 nucleotides that are complementary to the genomes of the
viruses to be detected, with the sequences having been mounted based upon
information from the organization GenBank using bioinformatics. The lead researcher, Victor Aquino,
generalizes the functionality of the platform with this phrase: "If a
blood sample contains one of the 416 viruses included on the microchip, the
pathogen's genome will bind with one of the probes to produce a marker that can
be detected by a scanner". An
interesting fact is that the same device that reads the results is the same as
that used in microarray assays for the analysis of gene expression.
This development may not seem
that substantial in the world of public health or virology, however, a tool
such as this could play a key role in identifying and managing some of the
potentially deadly viruses. It is well
known that the Tropics is a “hotspot” region for emerging diseases and the
pathogens responsible, for example, a high percentage of the mosquito
vector-based pathogens arose from this general region with the most recent
being the infamous Zika. Although this
new tech seems trivial in the eyes of some individuals with regards to viral
disease, it will most-certainly provide the ability to manage the many and
often “hidden” viruses that may soon spread around the globe.
-Ethan Wentworth
No comments:
Post a Comment