Chemical Translational Biology-Guided Molecular Diagnostics: The Front Line To Mediate the Current SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Chembiochem. 2020 Dec 11;21(24):3492-3494. doi: 10.1002/cbic.202000518. Epub 2020 Sep 22.

Abstract

The spread of severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has disrupted our global society in unprecedented ways. The very front line in defense against this pandemic is molecular diagnosis, which is an exceptional representation of how chemical translational biology can benefit our lives. In this viewpoint, I emphasize the imperative demand for a simple and rapid point-of-care system in order to mediate the spread of COVID-19. I further describe how the interdisciplinary combination of chemistry and biology advances biosensing systems, which potentially lead to integrated and automated point-of-care systems capable of relieving the current pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; chemical biology; molecular diagnosis; point-of-care.

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques / methods
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis*
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems
  • Humans
  • Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / methods
  • Pandemics
  • Point-of-Care Testing
  • RNA, Viral / analysis*
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • SARS-CoV-2 / genetics

Substances

  • RNA, Viral