The acceptance of nucleic acid probes as diagnostic tools for the clinical laboratory has been hampered by a number of factors, including laborious techniques and limited sensitivity. The focus of this review is on the recent development of amplification techniques to enhance the signal generated by nucleic acid-based detection systems. Three general areas are discussed: (1) amplification of ta...

Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) is an isothermal technique that allows the rapid amplification of specific regions of nucleic acid obtained from a diverse range of sources. It is especially suitable for amplifying RNA sequences. A rapid and specific NASBA technique was developed, allowing the detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus genetic material in a range of sample mater...

We report here the sequence of a candidate reference strain of Zika virus (ZIKV) developed on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO). The ZIKV reference strain is intended for use in nucleic acid amplification (NAT)-based assays for the detection and quantification of ZIKV RNA.

Enterovirus (EV) detection by nucleic acid sequence-based amplification was compared with EV isolation in cell culture. The NucliSens Basic kit (bioMerieux) was utilized for RNA detection. For virus isolation, samples were inoculated into MRC-5, primary rhesus monkey kidney, A549, rhabdomyosarcoma, and/or Buffalo green monkey kidney cells.

We report here the sequence of a genotype 2a reference strain of hepatitis E virus (HEV), developed on behalf of the World Health Organization. The HEV reference strain is intended for use in assays based on nucleic acid amplification for the validation of HEV RNA detection.

The translation of nucleic acid libraries into corresponding synthetic compounds would enable selection and amplification principles to be applied to man-made molecules. We used multistep DNA-templated organic synthesis to translate libraries of DNA sequences, each containing three "codons," into libraries of sequence-programmed synthetic small-molecule macrocycles. The resulting DNA-macrocycle...

The bio barcode silica nanotubes (SNTs) was developed to detect pathogenic bacteria using quantum dots and beacon-type capture probe. Various quantum dots were embedded in SNT (QD-SNT) to generate a barcoding signal with different colors and orders. The QD-SNT was coated by colloidal gold nanoparticle to immobilize hairpin structured capture probe on outer walls. Pathogenic specific capture pro...