Ukusasazeka ngokukhawuleza kwe-COVID-19, isifo esibangelwa yintsholongwane ye-SARS-CoV-2, idale ingxaki yezempilo yoluntu kwihlabathi liphela. Ukufunyaniswa kwe-COVID-19 kwangethuba kunye nokubekwa wedwa ngundoqo ekulawuleni usulelo lwesifo kunye nokukhusela abantu abasesichengeni. Umgangatho wangoku woxilongo lwe-COVID-19 yireverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), ubuchule apho iijene zentsholongwane zentsholongwane zifunyanwa khona emva kokuphindwa komjikelo wokukhulisa. Nangona kunjalo, obu buchule budla ixesha, kudala ukusilela kovavanyo kuwo wonke amaziko oxilongo kwaye kukhokelela ekuxilongeni kulibaziseke.

Kuphononongo lwakutsha nje olupapashwe kwiBiosensors kunye neBioelectronics, abaphandi abavela eKorea nase China baye bazisa inoveli esekwe iqonga le-nanotechnology elinokunciphisa ixesha elifunekayo kuxilongo lwe-COVID-19. I-Raman yabo ephuculweyo ye-surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) -i-PCR yokubona i-platform-elungiselelwe ukusebenzisa i-nanoparticles yegolide (AuNPs) kwimigodi ye-Au 'nanodimple' substrates (AuNDSs) -iyakwazi ukubona iijene zentsholongwane emva kwemijikelezo ye-8 kuphela yokukhulisa. Oko kuphantse ukuba sisinye kwisithathu senani elifunekayo nge-RT-PCR eqhelekileyo.

“I-RT-PCR eqhelekileyo isekwe ekufunyanweni kweempawu ze-fluorescence, ke iiyure ezi-3 ukuya kwezi-4 ziyafuneka ukuze kubonwe i-SARS-CoV-2. Esi santya asanelanga xa ucinga ukuba i-COVID-19 isasazeka kangakanani na. Besifuna ukufumana indlela yokunciphisa eli xesha ubuncinane ngesiqingatha,” utsho uProf. Jaebum Choo, ecacisa inkuthazo emva kolu phando. Ngethamsanqa, impendulo yayingekho kude kakhulu. Kuphononongo lwangaphambili olupapashwe ngo-2021, iqela likaProf. Choo liphuhlise iqonga lokubona inoveli apho iimpawu ze-SERS ezinovakalelo oluphezulu ziveliswa zii-AuNPs zicwangciswe ngokufanayo kwimingxuma yee-AuNDS ngobuchule obubizwa ngokuba yi-DNA hybridization. Ngokusekwe kolu phando lwangaphambili, uProf. Choo neqela lakhe baphuhlise inoveli iqonga le-SERS-PCR lokuxilongwa kwe-COVID-19.

Uvavanyo olusanda kuphuhliswa lwe-SERS-PCR lusebenzisa imiqondiso ye-SERS ukubona "ibhulorho ye-DNA" -i-DNA encinci ye-probes ehla ngokukhawuleza phambi kohlobo lwentsholongwane yentsholongwane. Ke ngoko, kwiisampulu ezivela kwizigulana ezine-COVID-19, ukuxinana kwebhulorho ye-DNA (kwaye ke ngoko uphawu lwe-SERS) luhlala luhla ngemijikelo yePCR eqhubekayo. Ngokwahlukileyo, xa i-SARS-CoV-2 ingekho, uphawu lwe-SERS luhlala lungatshintshi.

Iqela livavanye ukusebenza kwenkqubo yalo lisebenzisa abameli ababini abamakishayo ekujoliswe kubo be-SARS-CoV-2, abangaba, iprotein yemvulophu (E) kunye ne-RNA exhomekeke kuhlobo lweRNA polymerase (RdRp) ye-SARS-CoV-2. Ngelixa imijikelo ye-25 yayifuneka kubhaqo olusekwe kwi-RT-PCR, iqonga le-SERS-PCR esekwe kwi-AuNDS lalifuna imijikelo eyi-8 kuphela, inciphisa kakhulu ixesha lovavanyo. "Nangona iziphumo zethu ziyi-preliminary, zibonelela ngobungqina obubalulekileyo bokuba semthethweni kwe-SERS-PCR njengendlela yokuxilonga. Ubuchwephesha bethu obusekwe kwi-SERS-PCR esekwe kwi-AuNDS liqonga elitsha elithembisayo lokuxilongwa kwemolekyuli enokunciphisa kakhulu ixesha elifunekayo lokuchongwa kofuzo xa kuthelekiswa neendlela eziqhelekileyo ze-RT-PCR. Le modeli inokwandiswa ngakumbi ngokubandakanya isampula esizenzekelayo ukuphuhlisa inkqubo yokuxilongwa kweemolekyuli yesizukulwana esilandelayo, "uchaza uProf. Choo.

Ewe, i-SERS-PCR inokuba sisixhobo esibalulekileyo kumkhosi wethu wokulwa ubhubhane we-COVID-19. Isenokwenza utshintsho lwepharadigm kwicandelo loxilongo lwemolekyuli, iguqule indlela esizibona ngayo izifo ezosulelayo kunye nokujongana nobhubhane wexesha elizayo.

INTO ONOKUYITHATHA KWELI NQAKU:

In a recent study published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, researchers from Korea and China have introduced a novel nanotechnology-based platform that can shorten the time required for COVID-19 diagnosis.
Choo’s team had developed a novel detection platform in which high-sensitivity SERS signals are produced by AuNPs uniformly arranged in the cavities of AuNDSs through a technique called DNA hybridization.
The current standard for COVID-19 diagnosis is reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a technique in which viral genes are detected after they undergo multiples cycles of amplification.