The
CRISPR-Cas system was developed into a molecular diagnostic
tool with high sensitivity, low cost, and high specificity in recent
years. Colorimetric assays based on nanozymes offer an attractive
point-of-care testing method for their low cost of use and user-friendly
operation. Here, a MnO2 nanozyme-mediated CRISPR-Cas12a
system was instituted to detect SARS-CoV-2. MnO2 nanorods
linked to magnetic beads via a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) linker
used as an oxidase-like nanozyme inducing the color change of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine,
which can be distinguished by the naked eye. The detection buffer
color will change when the Cas12a is activated by SARS-CoV-2 and indiscriminately
cleave the linker ssDNA. The detection limit was 10 copies per microliter
and showed no cross-reaction with other coronaviruses. The nanozyme-mediated
CRISPR-Cas12a system shows high selectivity and facile operation,
with great potential for molecular diagnosis in point-of-care testing
applications.
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