Japanese Eiken Chemical Co. will send 720 kits that use LAMP coronavirus detection technology. Partnership should expand research carried out in the area by the University
Last Wednesday (25), a partnership was signed between Unicamp and Chiba University, in Japan, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the company Eiken Chemical Co. Titled PACT-Brazil, Partnership for Accelerating Covid-19 Testing in Brazil, the agreement provides for Unicamp to receive and validate 720 test kits, produced by Eiken Co., to detect SARS-CoV-2 through of saliva samples. The tests should arrive at the University in early December. Scientific validation will be carried out by the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases (LEMDI) from the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM), which has mastered the LAMP technology, used in this type of test. The partnership will increase the degree of sophistication of the research carried out by LEMDI and opens up the possibility of new types of coronavirus detection tests being used to control the pandemic.
The partnership between LEMDI and Chiba University is not new, it has existed since 1997 and allows the exchange of researchers and the exchange of experiences between the two universities. In 2017, an International Cooperation Agreement was signed with the institution to develop research for the diagnosis of fungal infections. The agreement is valid until 2022 and provides for an investment of 5 million dollars by the Japanese government. The work is developed within the MIRE Project, under the coordination of professor Maria Luiza Moretti, also coordinator of LEMDI.
However, with the emergence of Covid-19 and the need for precautions to contain the spread of the disease, several in-person work had to be interrupted. "Due to the pandemic, postgraduate students, who account for around 80%, up to 90% of the driving force behind research projects, were advised not to come to campus, as were our employees, just as happened in Japan So this exchange that exists with Brazilian researchers going to Japan, the on-site work in our laboratory, LEMDI, ended up being interrupted", explains Plínio Trabasso, researcher at the laboratory, professor at FCM and Care Coordinator at Hospital de Clínicas. (HC) from Unicamp.
Given this scenario, with the global tendency to direct a large part of research efforts towards controlling the pandemic, the PACT-Brazil proposal emerged, within the structure of the MIRE project. Based on this partnership, Eiken Chemical Co., a Japanese company that produces diagnostic tests and clinical equipment, will send 720 kits to LEMDI with tests that use saliva samples to detect the coronavirus.
In the laboratory, validation studies will be carried out, which prove the capacity of the inputs to diagnose Covid-19, and the measurement of their degree of precision. The tests use the LAMP method, researched by the laboratory, which is faster, cheaper and simpler to carry out compared to collecting a nasal swab to carry out RT-PCR tests. "Nothing more natural than taking advantage of a technology that was being used in our laboratory, all the inputs we already have, equipment, to improve tests to detect Covid-19", explains Plínio.
LAMP: more accurate, faster and cheaper technology
RT-LAMP tests are similar to RT-PCR, a test considered the gold standard by the World Health Organization for detecting coronavirus. Both use the enzyme reverse transcriptase to identify the RNA genetic information of SARS-CoV-2. To carry out these tests, the enzyme produces a stretch of DNA, called a primer, which, when paired with the SARS-CoV-2 RNA, indicates the existence of the coronavirus in the sample.
However, with the LAMP technique, which stands for loop-mediated isothermal amplification, detection is carried out at a constant temperature of around 65°C and uses four primers capable of recognizing up to six regions of the RNA. coronavirus, different from RT-PCR, which uses two primers and depends on the use of thermocyclers, expensive equipment that causes cycles of heating and cooling the samples. This means the test can have a higher level of accuracy, is cheaper and can be done in less time. Plínio Trabasso estimates that, on average, results can be obtained in 40 minutes.
Another characteristic of the RT-LAMP tests is that the diagnosis can be made without the need for more sophisticated equipment, as one of the aspects of samples in which the coronavirus is present is that the liquid becomes cloudy, losing its crystalline appearance. Plínio comments that this makes it possible to apply tests in more remote regions, such as communities in the Amazon.
At Unicamp, LEMDI research will confirm not only whether the kits sent by Eiken Co. are clinically valid, but also the degree of accuracy of the diagnoses. This must be done by diluting the coronavirus samples. The more diluted the sample is and can still be detected, the greater the degree of accuracy of the tests. According to the doctor, obtaining positive results opens up a new possibility for the health system to control the pandemic.
"As you manage to validate inputs that do not use this type of expensive equipment, the process becomes cheaper for the population, for the SUS, for supplementary health. Whenever it is possible to make it cheaper, while maintaining or increasing quality, It's much better. If we can validate this exam as something feasible, possible to be used, it's another alternative to public competitions, bidding, it expands the offer of exams in the health system, it can expand the testing carried out", analyzes Plínio.
Inclusion of new groups and greater specialization of research
One of the aspects that attract attention in RT-LAMP tests is the possibility of using saliva samples, without the need for nasal swab collection. Plínio Trabasso comments that this is an advantage as it makes procedures easier for healthcare teams and also reduces the discomfort that some patients may feel with the nasal swab. The benefit goes further if the health conditions of some specific groups are considered, such as patients who have recently undergone a bone marrow transplant.
"Particularly patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation cannot collect samples from nasal swabs because it is a more aggressive technique for them. They still do not have enough platelets in their body and bleeding can occur. This (LAMP) is therefore a technique that expands the possibilities for testing immunosuppressed patients, who are also subject to Covid-19", explains the HC Assistance Coordinator.
He also highlights that the agility with which diagnoses can be obtained, combined with the reduced cost, can expand the population's testing capacity, which is essential for defining measures to control the pandemic. "If I have a test that can detect the coronavirus in an individual who is at a very early stage of the disease, it is possible to increase the sensitivity of my population screening. It is possible to make earlier diagnoses, including in asymptomatic patients. Many countries have invested their Covid-19 control programs in testing and isolating people. You then apply the test, get quick results and know whether the person needs to be isolated or not", details Plínio.
For Unicamp, the partnership will expand the possibilities of studies carried out by LEMDI, contributing to the prevention and development of treatments for other diseases. Today, research carried out at the site focuses on fungi. "Fungi have DNA as their genetic material. Viruses can have DNA or RNA. In particular, SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, so it is a very big change. The technology we use is the same, the equipment is The same ones, but we will work with another type of microorganism. There is then a whole increase in the qualification of the teams, both of the students and of our biologists, who will be able to work with a different type of organism than what they are used to. This increases the qualification. of these people", highlights Trabasso.