"Our study looks at these technologies' performance characteristics, their challenges and the gaps in our current knowledge and future directions. We describe the lessons learned throughout the pandemic on the diagnostics of this virus, which will be helpful in the case of a future pandemic."
The authors believe that the paper provides a rich "one-stop shop" resource for people interested in the topic, including experts in clinical microbiology and non-experts who want to know more about different methods.
"Having such a comprehensive review on this gigantic subject in a single place is of great value as it will significantly save time from researchers. It will help them grasp the state-of-the-art technologies in this area as fast as possible, get inspired and directed about current challenges and better define their research objectives," Tali adds.
Sana Anbuhi, an assistant professor of chemical and materials engineering, is the paper's senior author. She and Jason LeBlanc of Dalhousie University are the corresponding authors. Zubi Sadiq and Oyejide Oyewunmi of Concordia and Carolina Camargo, Bahareh Nikpour, Narges Armanfard and Selena Sagan of McGill University are co-authors.
The authors point out that the explosion of detection techniques and tools - some of questionable quality - came from the need to expand testing rapidly while supply chains were disrupted by the virus's global spread. Some techniques are more accurate; others are more affordable. Some require sophisticated lab equipment; others do not.
The World Health Organization's internationally recognized ASSURED criteria for point-of-care diagnostic devices helped them assess the various tests being used. The acronym stands for affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust, equipment-free and deliverable to end users. This helped the researchers determine the strengths and weaknesses of the existing diagnostic tools.
"Some sensors are sensitive and specific, meaning they detect the presence of COVID-19 but they are not user-friendly or need bulky machinery and highly trained people to operate it," Anbuhi explains. She says the most effective tools in use now are nucleic acid amplification tests, which are highly effective at detecting ribonucleic acid (RNA).
The researchers hope that identifying current weaknesses in our diagnostic tools will help avoid the need of adopting drastic measures like lockdowns and shuttering the economy when the next pandemic emerges.
MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: Concordia University
