Published on: 2026-07-10
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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Researchers at the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University have expanded the capabilities of a portable express-diagnostics platform of their own development. Specialists have configured it to detect sexually transmitted infections, tick-borne encephalitis virus, as well as West Nile fever.
Specialists from the nanobiotechnology research complex of the Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnology at SPbPU, in partnership with NPF Sintol, the company MedTech, and the Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Laboratory Research of the Moscow Department of Health, are developing a universal diagnostic platform based on CRISPR-Cas systems for rapid and sensitive pathogen detection. The project was launched with the support of the federal program “Priority-2030.”
The express diagnostics platform of SPbPU combines two advanced methods: rapid amplification of the pathogen’s genetic material at a constant temperature (RPA method) and its detection using CRISPR-Cas technology (a molecular tool that finds and recognizes strictly specified DNA fragments in any sample with the highest accuracy). The basis of the system consists of enzymes developed in-house. They perform two key tasks: multiplying the pathogen’s DNA fragments to reach sufficient quantity for analysis and helping reliably detect them in the sample studied. The entire system can operate in tandem with a compact portable device also created at SPbPU, or it can be used on equipment already available in diagnostic laboratories.
According to the developers’ preliminary estimate, diagnostics using a universal platform based on CRISPR-Cas systems will be 30% cheaper than using the PCR method.
The breakthrough of systems based on CRISPR-Cas and isothermal amplification lies in the ability to conduct rapid (the analysis takes about half an hour at a constant temperature of around 37 °C), ultra-sensitive, and fully autonomous tests right at the patient’s bedside, which allows instantly isolating infected individuals and stopping epidemics even under resource scarcity. We have configured a diagnostic platform for highly sensitive screening of sexually transmitted infection (STI) pathogens, which, given the mass nature of these studies, will significantly increase the throughput of laboratories and ensure the scaling of the diagnostic process. Regarding tick-borne encephalitis and West Nile fever, characterized by pronounced focality in hard-to-reach regions, the developed portable platform will provide ultra-rapid diagnostics in the absence of centralized laboratories, — explains the advantage of the developed express system scientific researcher of the Research Institute “Nanobiotechnologies” Natalia Morozova.
Specialists at SPbPU have already created genetic constructs that allow the production of all necessary protein components for testing, as well as developed protocols for their efficient extraction and purification. Protocols have been established for performing RPA reactions and detecting DNA targets using Cas12a nuclease. Further plans include large-scale testing of the system in laboratory and field conditions.
Potential consumers of the diagnostic solution being developed include healthcare institutions, such as large diagnostic laboratories, clinics, hospitals, and feldsher-midwife stations, which regularly face issues related to the spread of infectious diseases. The system is also applicable in sanitary-epidemiological studies, including the livestock sector and others.
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