Researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have developed a test that allows them to detect specific pieces of genetic material, the results of which can be read with the naked eye. The test could be used to detect viruses, such as the coronavirus, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria quickly and cheaply. The results have been published in Biophysical Journal.

The new Delft method is based in part on proteins from the CRISPR-Cas system, the molecular scissors that gained fame as a revolutionary gene editing method. Last year, in 2020, the developers of the gene editing tool received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Read more