The virus has become rapidly dispersed by the virus for two main reasons, the first because its symptoms are similar to those of a flu which kept it "covered" for a significant time and make it difficult for people to differentiate between a flu and Covid-19. The second reason is that a large number of those infected are symptomatic, which allows greater spread of the virus because they do not know that they are infected. In addition, in Colombia, as in many countries, it is of vital importance that the diagnosis of infected people is faster because it is currently taking between 5 and 15 days to have results of the test that is done by means of PCR and immunological tests. They are not sensitive enough to trust them. Therefore, by increasing the number of people diagnosed in the same time interval, putting these people in a strict quarantine and doing these massive tests regardless of whether one has symptoms or not doing it randomly in the populations. This allows having more information on how the outbreak is taking place and controlling it in less time. Likewise, by having all the infected people in the houses, the preventive quarantine can be lifted reactivating the economy. The purpose of this tool is for it to be used as a protocol test, for example when entering work and for the diagnosis that is currently carried out.
This may be because when you have the most suitable aptamer, it would only be to produce it, which makes it much more economical than the tests that are currently being carried out and more sensitive than immunological tests since it detects the virus directly, but not the state of response of the body versus infection.
For the development of the experienced project, a literature review was made of how the economy is being affected, such as the epidemiology of the virus, the target proteins for the generation of vaccines and what are the sequences conserved in the different strains of Covid-19 as they are so conserved regardless of changes or mutations said protein does not change. In the same way, it was asked how to obtain aptamers and what characteristics they have.
Subsequently, when evaluating the information, what it was is filtered and a methodology is established to generate the rapid virus identification tool.
Seeing that several Latin American countries except Brazil that are in permanent preventive quarantine have seen a significant drop in the economy, increasing unemployment rates and income for companies, it is important to work on a tool that allows a greater movement of the economy that has generated the quarantines, taking this into account, it is necessary to make a rapid and effective identification of the virus to control its dissemination earlier. This tool will be generated in the following way:
Aptamers are obtained by a method known as the SELEX method (Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment)
1. make the library of oligonucleotides, DNA fragments (1015 molecules) that have known fixed sequences at the 5 'and 3' ends and a central region of random sequences.
2. select, from those random sequences, which selectively and specifically bind to the target molecule.
3. Immobilize the aptamer with greater affinity and specificity to the target potency in the solid material in which the sample of the passant will be placed and, in the case of surface detection, dissolve it in a solution suitable for the aptamer, even if it tends to be stable in water or Saline solution.
4. test with different concentrations of viral particles to test their stability, sensitivity and efficiency.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LmeF6I7AEEeVqm80PGegNAZ7jynMSQrV/view?usp=sharing
COVID-19 Data Pathfinder
Earth data nasa
NCBI
Data cube ESA