Rapid identification of Sars-CoV-2 variants of concern using the portable peakPCR platform

AbstractThe need for tools which allow rapid detection and continuous monitoring of Sars-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) is greater than ever, as these variants are more transmissible and therefore increase the pressure of COVID-19 on healthcare systems. To address this demand, we aimed to develop and evaluate a robust and fast diagnostic approach for identification of Sars-CoV-2 VOC-associated spike gene mutations. Our diagnostic assays detect the E484K and N501Y SNPs as well as a spike gene deletion (HV69/70) and can be run on standard laboratory equipment or on the portable rapid diagnostic technology platform peakPCR. The assays achieved excellent diagnostic performance when tested with RNA extracted from culture-derived Sars-CoV-2 VOC lineages. Simplicity of usage and the relatively low costs are advantages which make our approach well-suited for decentralized and rapid testing, especially in resource limited settings.