Scientists tap CRISPR’s search-and-detect skills to create a rapid Covid-19 test
It cuts genomes, edits DNA, and holds the potential to treat a vast range of diseases. Now, CRISPR is being put to a new test as a search-and-detect engine for Covid-19.
On Thursday, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and scientists at Mammoth Biosciences — whose advisory board includes CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna — published research in Nature Biotechnology laying out a method for using CRISPR to quickly spot the coronavirus in samples from nose or throat swabs.
