Polymerase Chain Reaction News and Research

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Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a revolutionary laboratory technique that enables the replication of a specific DNA sequence. Using PCR, millions of copies of a target DNA can be easily synthesized within a short period of time.

Anosmia (loss of smell) confirmed as a clinical feature of COVID-19

Earlier last month, the association of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists in the UK issued a public statement advising patients with a sudden loss of smell or taste to get tested for COVID-19. They cited not only their own observations but those from numerous other ENT consultants the world around. A review of multiple papers on the sinus and nasal symptoms and signs related to the diagnosis of COVID-19, published in April 2020, in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, reiterates this finding.

15 Apr 2020

Researchers develop a faster, more accurate COVID-19 test

Millions of people have been tested for the novel coronavirus, most using a kit that relies on the polymerase chain reaction.

15 Apr 2020

Mayo Clinic highlights the impact of false-negative COVID-19 test results

As COVID-19 testing becomes more widely available, it's vital that health care providers and public health officials understand its limits and the impact false results can have on efforts to curb the pandemic.

9 Apr 2020

Spanish study shows infections in children occur early in COVID-19 epidemics

With the spread of COVID-19, scientists are finding out more about the disease. One major aspect that is being studied is how the virus affects children. A new report from Spain, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics in April 2020, shows that pediatric populations are infected early in the epidemic and that about 10% of those with symptoms suggestive of infection test positive. Severe infection can also occur among children, requiring hospitalization and intensive care.

8 Apr 2020

Scientists in the UK look to measure COVID-19 in the wider community

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is actively spreading throughout the globe, affecting 184 countries and territories. In the United Kingdom, the country has seen the highest daily numbers of recorded coronavirus deaths – 854 on Monday and 786 on Tuesday, prompting scientists to race toward determining how vast the virus is spreading in the UK.

8 Apr 2020

New Fleischner Society statement on chest imaging and management of COVID-19 published

A multinational consensus statement from the Fleischner Society on the role of chest imaging in the management of patients with COVID-19 was jointly published today in the journals Radiology and Chest.

7 Apr 2020

UC San Diego Health expands COVID-19 testing capacity

From the beginning, the ability of front line clinicians to test patients for COVID-19 -- to determine whether a person is infected with the disease-causing novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 -- has been part and parcel of the pandemic.

6 Apr 2020

GlobalData: Rapid POC tests to accelerate testing capacity for diagnosing COVID-19

There is a current worldwide lack of testing capacity for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The frontline response for diagnosing COVID-19 has been polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

3 Apr 2020

Tulane University adds second avenue for COVID-19 testing

Tulane University has added a second avenue for COVID-19 testing, this one taking place at a Tulane School of Medicine repurposed research lab where results can be processed within a day.

2 Apr 2020

Is coronavirus spread through feces?

A startling study from China, published in the journal Gastroenterology in March 2020, reports that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can spread via feces as well as the more familiar respiratory droplet route or from virus-contaminated surfaces.

2 Apr 2020

Thermo Fisher announces availability of AcroMetrix Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) RNA Control

Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced the availability of the Thermo Scientific AcroMetrix Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) RNA Control, its latest quality control product to monitor and validate COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 1 Apr 2020

'Pool testing' for COVID-19 may help increase testing capacities across the globe

Now, a team of researchers at the German Red Cross Blood Donor Service and the Institute for Medical Virology at the University Hospital Frankfurt at Goethe University have developed a pool testing procedure that will make it possible to rapidly increase worldwide testing capacities for SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2020

Spit and feces test positive for SARS CoV-2 even after recovery

A new study reveals that samples of sputum and feces continue to test positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus even after a person has recovered from COVID-19 and nasopharyngeal secretions test negative for the virus.

31 Mar 2020

Coronavirus shown to spread in high heat and humidity

A new study explores the possibility that the novel coronavirus, which is ravaging the world, can spread in hot and humid conditions, dispelling the view held by some investigators that the virus is more easily transmissible in colder climates.

30 Mar 2020

What takes so long? A behind-the-scenes look at the steps involved in COVID-19 testing

After a slow start, testing for COVID-19 has ramped up in recent weeks, with giant commercial labs jumping into the effort, drive-up testing sites established in some places and new types of tests approved under emergency rules set by the Food and Drug Administration.

30 Mar 2020

COVID-19 patients can be infectious even after their symptomatic recovery, study shows

In a new study, researchers found that half of the patients they treated for mild COVID-19 infection still had coronavirus for up to eight days after symptoms disappeared.

27 Mar 2020

Grifols Announces Formal Collaboration with US Government to Produce the First Treatment Specifically Targeting COVID-19

Grifols today announces that it has entered into a formal collaboration with the US Government alongside other health agencies, to treat COVID-19 disease.

From GRIFOLS U.K. Ltd. 27 Mar 2020

Russian researchers explain why new pathogenic viruses are so hard to detect

In a recently published fundamental review dedicated to the diagnostics of viral infections, a Russian research team featuring MIPT researchers was the first to systematically describe and summarize the cutting-edge technologies in the rapidly developing field of genetics.

25 Mar 2020

Coronavirus unlikely to spread through tears

While researchers are certain that coronavirus spreads through mucus and droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing, it is unclear if the virus is spread through other bodily fluids, such as tears.