FDA authorizes CRISPR-based test for COVID-19

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a COVID-19 test that uses the gene-editing technology CRISPR and returns results in around one hour.

Though the test was only authorized for emergency use, this marks the first time the FDA has allowed a CRISPR-based tool to be used in patients. CRISPR technology can quickly find and link onto any genetic sequence in a specimen. The new test, created by the biotech company Sherlock Biosciences, uses one molecule to search for the virus gene in a patient sample. Then, if the molecule finds the gene, it releases a signal that the system can detect.

The standard method for COVID-19 testing, called PCR, also looks for tiny bits of the virus gene. However, that method is slow and takes...

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