The protocol for the assay is already established, you just have to identify the right primers to identify all three strains shown below. COVID19 is a single-stranded RNA virus, however, your colleague took the original and the two new strains and generated large amounts of double-stranded cDNA for you to develop the detection assay. Classify variants based on the kind of mutations they have acquired. Designing a PCR (RT-PCR) Assay to Rapidly Test People for COVID 19 Infection

Designing a PCR (RT-PCR) Assay to Rapidly Test People for COVID 19 Infection

The COVID 19 pandemic has caused a global health crisis and a rapid detection assay is critical to identify and contain the spread of the virus. To this end, a PCR (RT-PCR) assay needs to be designed that can detect and distinguish the original COVID19 strain and the two new variants (Delta and Omicron). As the protocol for the assay is already established, the challenge lies in correctly identifying the primers to accurately detect all three strains. In order to identify the right primers, it is important to first classify the variants based on the type of mutations they have acquired, which is likely to be a point mutation, missense mutation, or nonsense mutation (Larson et al., 2019). After this, the PCR primers must be designed to target the specific mutations in the variants, while also being specific to the COVID19 virus (Tsai et al., 2020). For example, the primers must be designed to target the mutation in the spike protein gene in the Delta and Omicron variants, while also ensuring that the primers are specific to the COVID19 virus and not another strain. Cont….