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Standardized test
To help make genetic testing easier and more accessible, scientists have developed a portable device that uses CRISPR gene modification technology to detect mutations much more easily than existing laboratories can.
The device, which was explained by the Keck Graduate Institute's bio-engineer, Kiana Aran, to Futurism that looks a little like a glucometer, helps to analyze a purified sample of DNA looking signs of Duchenne muscular dystrophy within 15 minutes – a major improvement over traditional waiting times. weeks.
Long road
The new technology, described in a study published Monday in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, uses a sufficiently sensitive graphene transistor to detect traces of DNA taken from a blood sample. The DNA must still be extracted and purified prior to analysis. Therefore, the search for mutations is even more complex than a blood glucose test.
But the device makes the process much simpler than existing methods. Normally, genetic testing requires more lab work because scientists need to replicate and amplify the DNA sample until enough analysis is done.
While this technology can help streamline medical clinics, Aran told Futurism they were working on lab applications to make sure everything worked as expected before tackling the FDA approval process for clinical features.
"A clinical tool requires clinical trials, a mature regulatory strategy, and an understanding of diagnostic billing practices," Aran told Futurism. "We are talking to companies that could very well integrate our laboratory tool into the diagnostic, with the goal of building partnerships to achieve this. So marketing the quality control tool and validation this year, and a clinical tool to come. "
Punch
At present, Aran and his team have focused on developing a technology to diagnose Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder caused by genetic mutations of a particular gene.
"As a current practice, boys with DMD are usually not screened until we know something is wrong, and then they undergo genetic confirmation," Irina Conboy, a bioengineer at the University of Berkeley, who contributed to the research and developed by Aran. the idea of a portable test device, said in a press release issued by the university.
The goal is not to create a universal testing device, as screening for each new genetic condition or mutation would involve providing new genetic biomarkers, but Aran hopes to add other conditions later.
"Almost certainly, every diagnostic test will require its own set of clinical trials and regulatory ranking," Aran told Futurism. "However, it will be technically easy to simply design different RNA guides for different tests. Almost as if you were sending a new search query to the chip, for example when you search for something in Google. Before the technology can be used freely in the clinic, there are still many commercial and regulatory hurdles to be addressed and we are convinced that it is essential to collaborate with the FDA instead of opposing it because we understand that she is here to ensure our safety at all. "
More on CRISPR: CRISPR could help us cure diseases. It could also cause cancer.
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