Ars Biotech

How the diagnostic test for Covid-19 works? 🧬🔬🦠

PCR, or polymerase chain reaction tests the virus’s genetic material in the body, this is useful to diagnose who is currently affected.
PCR, maybe it’d be better to say “Real Time PCR” is used to amplify genetic information into a large amount for being able to observe it.
To develop a covid-19 test, researchers need to sequence the genome of SARS-CoV-2, in order to identify regions that are unique and then target these particular segments.
First of all, it’s necessary to collect a sample, blood for hepatitis virus, f***s for poliovirus and samples from nose and throat for coronavirus.
Secondly, the genetic information of SARS-CoV-2, an RNA strand, must be reverse transcribed to cDNA, a strand of complementary DNA, in order to compare with the sample DNA.
The RT-PCR test begins, the 2 genomes (human and virus) and other factors are inserted to make the reaction possible, if the virus is present in the sample, it’s unique regions of genetic code will be identify and copied thanks to complementary primers, which, in synergy with other components and enzymes will allow the reaction.
Finally, one strand of virus cDNA becomes hundreds of million, and we would be able to determine it thanks to the fluorescence resulting from the action of enzymes, whether the PCR machine senses fluorescence signal, the sample has tested positive for the virus, meaning the individual is infected.

Endocrine disrupters and reproductive health 🦠 🎀
Endocrine disrupters are among the main factors for the onset of diseases with high social and economic impact, such as changes in reproductive and sexual health as well as various other diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, which may have an indirect impact on these conditions. Multidisciplinary action is needed to try to reduce the impact of these substances in order to improve the quality of life and the well-being of individuals and society. The alarming increase in pair infertility is linked to a series of economic, social and cultural phenomena that occurred in the last century, which led to a real revolution in the daily rhythms, significantly affecting the frequency and quality of sexual in*******se.
To all this has been added in the last 50 years a progressive reduction in the quality of the seminal fluid. This worrying worsening of the reproductive potential of the human being is partly due to the presence of pervasive and resistant environmental contaminants such as endocrine disrupters, exogenous chemical elements deriving from industrial productions, Insecticides, fungicides and herbicides, which mimic hormonal activity, undermining general health and endocrine and reproductive activity. These harmful substances are mainly present in industrialized countries in the air, in water and in many foods or objects of daily use.

CRISPR/Cas9 🧬🛠

Targeted genome editing using engineered nucleases has rapidly gone from being a niche technology to a mainstream method used by many biological researchers. This widespread adoption has been largely fueled in 2012 by the emergence of the clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology, a genetic manipulation tool derived from the defense system of certain bacteria against viruses and plasmids.
CRISPR/Cas9 uses an important new approach for generating RNA-guided nucleases, such as Cas9, with customizable specificities. This method is easy to apply and has been used in a wide variety of experimental models, including cell lines, laboratory animals, plants, and even in human clinical trials. The CRISPR/Cas9 system consists of directing the Cas9 nuclease to create a site‑directed double‑strand DNA break using a small RNA molecule as a guide. A process that allows a permanent modification of the genomic target sequence can repair the damage caused to DNA. The simplicity and flexibility of the CRISPR/Cas9 site-specific nuclease system has led to its widespread use in many biological research areas including development of model cell lines, discovering mechanisms of disease, identifying disease targets, development of transgene animals and plants, and transcriptional modulation. Gene therapy has long-held promise to correct a variety of human diseases, this is the moment.
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All credits to: International Journal of Molecular Medicine and .research