A team from SPI in Marcoule detected by mass spectrometry, in 3 minutes and without specific reagents, signature peptides of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in clinical samples (nasopharyngeal swabs). It thus provides a proof of concept of the use of this method as a possible alternative to PCR, currently the reference method.
Rapid but yet sensitive, specific and high-throughput detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in clinical samples is key to diagnose infected people and to better control the spread of the virus. Alternative methodologies to PCR and immunodiagnostic that would not require specific reagents are worth to investigate not only for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to detect other emergent pathogenic threats.
