Feasibility of a rapid, sensitive, nucleic acid based test for detection and serotyping of enteric viruses of human health importance

This project will evaluate the feasibility of a rapid, specific and cheap test for human entric viruses. We will apply our novel patented technology that is able to detect and distinguish specific DNA/RNA sequences as the basis for the test. This will enable viral detection and serotyping, and we suggest that our assay would overcome many of the limitations of current tests. In particular DestiNA technology has been used in the error-free detection of human SNPs in cystic fibrosis, and here we would apply it to rapidly detect and serotype viruses in patient samples. We will design and synthesise probes and define and optimise our limit of detection in an ELISA-like assay. The specificty of our assay will be tested with sythetic viral sequences followed by the use of real clinical samples. A successful outcome will demonstrate the performance of the assay and could be used to develop it on several other platforms to enable both point of care and enviromental testing.