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Review
. 2021 Aug 25;6(1):316.
doi: 10.1038/s41392-021-00731-z.

Applications of laboratory findings in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of COVID-19

Zirui Meng #  1 , Shuo Guo #  1 , Yanbing Zhou  1 , Mengjiao Li  1 , Minjin Wang  1 , Binwu Ying  2
Affiliations
Review

Applications of laboratory findings in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of COVID-19

Zirui Meng et al. Signal Transduct Target Ther. .

Abstract

The worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents us with a serious public health crisis. To combat the virus and slow its spread, wider testing is essential. There is a need for more sensitive, specific, and convenient detection methods of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Advanced detection can greatly improve the ability and accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19, which is conducive to the early suitable treatment and supports precise prophylaxis. In this article, we combine and present the latest laboratory diagnostic technologies and methods for SARS-CoV-2 to identify the technical characteristics, considerations, biosafety requirements, common problems with testing and interpretation of results, and coping strategies of commonly used testing methods. We highlight the gaps in current diagnostic capacity and propose potential solutions to provide cutting-edge technical support to achieve a more precise diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of COVID-19 and to overcome the difficulties with the normalization of epidemic prevention and control.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Laboratory diagnostic method of COVID-19
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Summary of the nucleic acid amplification testing. The nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 is extracted by magnetic beads absorption or heat treatment. Amplification is performed and signals could be detected using the special instrument for rRT-PCR, ddPCR, LAMP, and RPA. Isothermal amplification and CRISPR-based methods can be read out by a color change, lateral-flow assay, fluorescence signal or portable electronic devices
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A scheme of several nanobiosensors for the detection of HCoVs. The detection target contains nucleic acids, antigens and antibodies. In biosensors, nanomaterials, such as metal nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, quantum dots, polymer materials, and others are utilized. The transducers, including electrochemical biosensors, optical and quartz crystal microbalance sensors, transduced the reaction of receptor and target to electrical, visible, and other measurable signals
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Laboratory inspection selection of COVID-19
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Flow chart of the system design
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Intelligently assisted individualized diagnosis and treatment system for COVID-19
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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