Emerging Trends in Molecular Diagnostics: From PCR to CRISPR-Based Techniques

Abstract

Molecular diagnostics encompasses the detection and quantification of nucleic acid sequences for infectious and inherited diseases, cancer, and various clinical conditions. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a transformative approach for examining human diseases, offering transformative solutions across diagnostic needs. CRISPR-based diagnostics operate with superior specificity compared to PCR, which relies upon primer-template complementarity, and involve orthogonal specificity from both guides and primers. Microbial detection platforms suffer from limited real-world deployment due to the absence of integrated, portable solutions. The SHERLOCK assay inaugurated the era of CRISPR-based diagnostics, a rapidly growing field showing potential to disrupt the molecular diagnostics market.