Improved oligonucleotide synthesis for faster, more accurate COVID-19 testing

对人们进行检测，以确定他们是否感染了冠状病毒，以便在检测呈阳性的情况下得到适当的治疗，并保持在人群中对病毒的控制，这一点很重要。英国政府的检测和跟踪计划等项目通过评估人类组织样本(如鼻咽拭子)中是否存在遗传物质来确定病毒是否感染了某人。有两种方法可以做到这一点--一种是称为LAMP的测试，这是一种较新的方法，另一种是目前的黄金标准测试，即qPCR。这两种检测都使用被称为寡核苷酸的DNA链。在冠状病毒大流行期间，LAMP检测的使用急剧增加，因为它使用的是廉价和简单的设备。然而，它使用的寡核苷酸多于qPCR，以及对LAMP检测的巨大需求，这意味着制造商正在努力快速生产大量高纯度寡核苷酸。寡核苷酸需要高度纯度，没有不需要的物质，比如太短的DNA链，这样测试才能给出准确的结果。人们需要大量的DNA才能进行重复和定期的检测。ATDBio是一家总部位于英国的公司，是制造LAMP检测所需DNA的专家。根据它的经验，它设计了一种方法，可以更快、更经济地生产大量高纯度的DNA。它的新方法结合了减少制造寡核苷酸时产生的不需要的较短链的数量，以及更好地去除它们和其他不需要的片段的方法。该公司已经有早期数据表明，这种新方法将会奏效。在这个创新英国项目中，资金将用于进一步开发和研究新技术，并评估他们生产的寡核苷酸在新冠肺炎测试中是否有效。然后，新的寡核苷酸将被大规模生产，并在ATDBio实验室外的新冠肺炎测试中独立测试。ATDBio的新方法预计将使DNA量增加三倍，提纯时间减少四分之三，纯度提高到96%。这应该会让灯的新冠肺炎检测更快更准确，并降低他们的成本。此外，新技术将适用于在检测其他感染和癌症等疾病时制造DNA。

Testing people to find out whether they are infected with coronavirus is important in order to get them treated properly if they do test positive, and to keep the virus under control in the population. Programmes such as the UK Government's Test and Trace scheme work out whether the virus has infected someone by assessing whether its genetic material is present in a sample of human tissue such as a nasopharyngeal swab. There are two ways of doing this -- a test known as LAMP, which is a newer approach, or the current gold standard test, qPCR. Both tests use strands of DNA known as oligonucleotides.The use of the LAMP test has grown dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic because it uses cheap and simple equipment. However, the fact that it uses more oligonucleotides than qPCR, and the massive demand for LAMP testing, means that manufacturers are struggling to produce large volumes of high purity oligonucleotides rapidly. The oligonucleotides need to be highly pure, with no unwanted material such as DNA strands which are too short, so that the tests give accurate results. Large volumes are needed so that people can be tested repeatedly and regularly.ATDBio is a UK based company which is an expert in making the DNA needed for LAMP testing. Based on its experience it has devised a method which should enable the production of large, highly pure quantities of DNA more quickly and economically. Its new method combines reducing the amount of unwanted shorter strands produced when making oligonucleotides, with a better way of removing them and other unwanted pieces.The company already has early data suggesting that this new approach will work. In this Innovate UK project, the funds will be used to develop and research the new techniques further and assess whether the oligonucleotides they produce work in COVID-19 tests. The new oligonucleotides will then be produced on a large scale and tested independently in COVID-19 tests outside ATDBio's laboratories.ATDBio's new method is expected to increase the amount of DNA that can be produced three fold, reduce the time taken to purify it by three quarters, and increase its purity to 96%. This should make the LAMP COVID-19 tests faster and more accurate, and reduce their cost. In addition, the new techniques will be suitable for making DNA when testing for other infections, and in diseases such as cancer.