, a team of scientists, led by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and WEHI , revealed MPXV-CRISPR—a powerful diagnostic tool capable of detecting monkeypox virus in clinical samples with acute precision and at a faster rate than any other method, thanks to the power of CRISPR technology. It is the first CRISPR-based diagnostic method in Australia specifically designed to target genetic sequences found only in MPXV.
The University of Melbourne's Dr. Soo Jen Low, a Research Officer at the Doherty Institute and co-first author of the study, said CRISPR-based diagnostic tools were like super-precise detectives that can quickly find specific clues related to the presence of specific pathogens. "In essence, when viral DNA is present in a clinical sample, the CRISPR system is guided to the target and subsequently emits a signal to indicate the presence of the virus. Ourcan achieve sensitivity and precision levels comparable to the gold-standard PCR methods, but in a fraction of the time," said Dr. Low.
"Currently, mpox diagnostics rely largely on centralized laboratory settings, where test results might not be available for up to several days after sample collection, depending on geographical and logistical considerations. In parallel, MPXV-CRISPR can detect the virus in just 45 minutes," said O'Neill.