Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP): A Rapid, Sensitive, Specific, and Cost-Eective Point-of-Care Test for Coronaviruses in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic

The rampant spread of COVID-19 and the worldwide prevalence of infected cases demand
a rapid, simple, and cost-eective Point of Care Test (PoCT) for the accurate diagnosis of this pandemic.
The most common molecular tests approved by regulatory bodies across the world for COVID-19
diagnosis are based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). While PCR-based tests are highly sensitive,
specific, and remarkably reliable, they have many limitations ranging from the requirement of
sophisticated laboratories, need of skilled personnel, use of complex protocol, long wait times for
results, and an overall high cost per test. These limitations have inspired researchers to search for
alternative diagnostic methods that are fast, economical, and executable in low-resource laboratory
settings. The discovery of Loop-mediated isothermal Amplification (LAMP) has provided a reliable
substitute platform for the accurate detection of low copy number nucleic acids in the diagnosis
of several viral diseases, including epidemics like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). At present, a cocktail of LAMP assay reagents along
with reverse transcriptase enzyme (Reverse Transcription LAMP, RT-LAMP) can be a robust solution
for the rapid and cost-eective diagnosis for COVID-19, particularly in developing, and low-income
countries. In summary, the development of RT-LAMP based diagnostic tools in a paper/strip format or
the integration of this method into a microfluidic platform such as a Lab-on-a-chip may revolutionize
the concept of PoCT for COVID-19 diagnosis. This review discusses the principle, technology and past
research underpinning the success for using this method for diagnosing MERS and SARS, in addition
to ongoing research, and the prominent prospect of RT-LAMP in the context of COVID-19 diagnosis.