Sub-5-minute Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using a Reverse Transcriptase-Free Exponential Amplification Reaction, RTF-EXPAR

We report a rapid isothermal method for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The procedure uses a novel reverse transcriptase-free (RTF) approach for converting RNA into DNA, which triggers a rapid amplification using the Exponential Amplification Reaction (EXPAR). Deploying the RNA-to-DNA conversion and amplification stages of the RTF-EXPAR assay in a single step results in the detection of a sample of patient SARS-CoV-2 RNA in under 5 minutes.