Liquid reagent inactivates SARS-CoV-2 in patient samples

Queensland researchers have identified a simple way to safely kill SARS-CoV-2 in patient diagnostic samples, by using a unique preparation liquid developed at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). UniSC Associate Professor of Molecular Engineering Joanne Macdonald said the liquid reagent has the potential to save lives by speeding up diagnostic testing, leading to faster test results and faster treatment.

“While many people think that SARS-CoV-2 is ‘old news’, it’s important to realise that it is still the third leading cause of death in Australia after heart disease and dementia, and early detection continues to be critical, particularly in our elderly and vulnerable populations,” she said.

The creation of the reagent, known as TNA-Cifer Reagent E, was partially funded by the DMTC Medical Countermeasures Program, an Australian collaboration and technology development initiative, with industry partner BioCifer, a Queensland-based biotech company. Development took place at the UniSC Centre for Bioinnovation, while the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute performed inactivation experiments at its SARS-CoV-2 PC3 biosecurity facility and The University of Queensland tested the reagent’s ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 in patient samples. Study results were published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

“The study showed that the unique composition of the reagent could extract RNA in patient samples in little as 5–10 minutes — and importantly, rapidly inactivate SARS-CoV-2 to make testing safer,” said Macdonald, who is also co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of BioCifer.

“It’s a simple three-step protocol — no magnetic beads, no spin columns, no elution. Just mix, hold for a short time at room temperature and your sample is ready for PCR.”

Professor Andreas Suhrbier, who leads QIMR Berghofer’s Inflammation Biology Group, said faster, safer and cheaper diagnosis has many advantages — “not least of which is prompt initiation of treatment, such asnirmatrelvir/ritonavir, for high-risk individuals”.

QIMR Berghofer research officer and BioCifer consultant Dr Daniel Rawle added that the findings pave the way for diagnosis to be performed in resource-poor settings. “This is a wonderfully simple way to both quickly kill SARS-CoV-2 in test samples and speed up processing that can also be used outside formal pathology laboratory settings using portable PCR machines,” he said.

The reagent has also been demonstrated, in other studies, to potentially enable safe, rapid onsite testing of other diseases such as dengue, Nipah and Hendra viruses. Macdonald said the reagent has the potential to help manage outbreaks of disease by preventing testing backlogs and providing real-time information.

“For SARS-CoV-2, we show that by combining rapid sample processing and testing with Australian-made portable PCR testing equipment from Bio Molecular Systems, we now have a full platform for rapid decentralised testing,” she said.

“This could be critical when needing to scale up rapid testing. By using existing PCR tests and our reagent, we could quickly and safely test samples onsite rather than having to ship them back to the laboratory where backlogs can occur.”

BioCifer has now begun sales of TNA-Cifer Reagent E for research use.

Image caption: Lab testing of TNA-Cifer Reagent E at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Image credit: UniSC.