Detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Using Toehold Switches
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an RNA virus and has been divided into two subtypes, type A and type B. RSV is a ubiquitous virus that causes lower respiratory infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants under 6 months of age and upper respiratory infections such as rhinitis and colds in older children and adults. RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory disease in infants and children and is responsible for more than 50,000 hospitalizations per year in children under 5 years of age in the United States.
Conventional Testing Methods
Diseases caused by RSV are clinically indistinguishable from similar diseases caused by other viruses or bacteria, so virus isolation and antibody testing are necessary. The conventional detection methods mainly include direct detection of respiratory syncytial virus antigen in pharyngeal exfoliated epithelial cells by immunofluorescence test, detection of IgM antibody in serum by immunological techniques such as ELISA, APAAP, and PAP, and detection of RSV nucleic acid by RT-PCR. Although these methods can rapidly detect RSV, the operation is complicated and time-consuming. We need a better way to monitor RSV infection.
Toehold Switches in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Detection
Since the discovery of Toehold switches, it has attracted the attention of many scholars. Because of its special hairpin structure, it can remain silent in the absence of target RNA. Once the target RNA is recognized, it allows the translation of the linked reporter gene, and a visible signal change occurs. Previous articles have shown that sensors incorporating toehold switches can efficiently detect RSV. As a first-class biotechnology company, CD BioSciences can use its own toehold switches technology platform to provide you with respiratory syncytial virus biosensor development service and respiratory syncytial virus detection service based on toehold switches.
The Development Services We Can Provide Based on Toehold Switches
RSV is one of the main viruses that infect the lower respiratory tract of infants and young children, which endangers the health of infants and young children. This requires the development of a faster and more sensitive detection device to control the spread of RSV. At CD BioSciences, our professional research team uses the established toehold switches technology platform to provide biosensor development services for scholars engaged in biosensor research and development or research related to RSV. We currently mainly provide a biosensor development service for RSV as follows.
Our Testing Services Based on the Toehold Switches Platform
Based on rich experience and advanced equipment, CD BioSciences can not only provide biosensor development services for RSV for scholars engaged in RSV-related research but also directly provide toehold switches-based RSV detection service.
Advantages of Toehold Switches in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Detection
- Low cost of detection and enables POC detection of the respiratory syncytial virus.
- Sensitive and specific differentiation of subtypes of the respiratory syncytial virus is possible.
- No specialized operators and specialized laboratory equipment are required to detect the respiratory syncytial virus.
CD BioSciences has long been committed to the establishment of the toehold switches technology platform, and we are confident that we can provide you with toehold switches-based biosensor development services and detection services for the RSV to save your time and effort. If you are interested in this, please contact us directly.
Reference
- Cao, M.; et al. Detection and differentiation of respiratory syncytial virus subgroups A and B with colorimetric toehold switch sensors in a paper-based cell-free system. Biosens Bioelectron. 2021, 182: 113173.