CRISPR as a novel technique for COVID-19 diagnosis: a review

To this moment, the human coronavirus disease COVID-19 that occurs as a result of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is still a critical case that provokes concern around the world. In January 2022, there were over 300 million infections and over 5 million fatalities from COVID-19. As a countermeasure against this rapid spread, there is a vital need for effective and low-cost diagnosis methods in order to control the danger of this pandemic. CRISPR technology has proved its efficiency in detecting COVID-19 due to its simplicity, specificity and high sensitivity. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of developing the CRISPR platforms for the purpose of COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. Limitations and challenges of CRISPR in terms of nucleic acid analytical methods for viral infection diagnosis are discussed. Keywords: Cas protein, COVID-19, CRISPR, RT-PCR, SARS-COV-2