Versatile and flexible microfluidic qPCR test for high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 and cellular response detection in nasopharyngeal swab samples

The emergence and quick spread of SARS-CoV-2 has pointed at a low capacity response for testing large populations in many countries, in line of material, technical and staff limitations. The traditional RT-qPCR diagnostic test remains the reference method and is by far the most widely used test. These assays are limited to a couple of probe sets, require large sample PCR reaction volumes, along with an expensive and time-consuming RNA extraction steps. Here we describe a quantitative nanofluidic assay that overcomes some of these shortcomings, based on the Biomark instrument from Fluidigm. This system offers the possibility of performing 4608 qPCR end-points in a single run, equivalent to 192 clinical samples combined with 12 pairs of primers/probe sets in duplicate, thus allowing the monitoring in addition to SARS-CoV-2 probes of other pathogens and/or host cellular responses (virus receptors, response markers, microRNAs). Its 10 nL range volume is compatible with sensitive and reproducible reactions that can be easily and cost-effectively adapted to various RT-qPCR configurations and sets of primers/probe. Finally, we also evaluated the use of inactivating lysis buffers composed of various detergents in the presence or absence of proteinase K to assess the compatibility of these buffers with a direct reverse transcription enzymatic step and we propose several procedures, bypassing the need for RNA purification. We advocate that the combined utilization of an optimized processing buffer and a high-throughput real-time PCR device would contribute to improve the turn-around-time to deliver the test results to patients and increase the SARS-CoV-2 testing capacities

Versatile and flexible microfluidic qPCR test for high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 and cellular response detection in nasopharyngeal swab samples

International audienceThe emergence and quick spread of SARS-CoV-2 has pointed at a low capacity response for testing large populations in many countries, in line of material, technical and staff limitations. The traditional RT-qPCR diagnostic test remains the reference method and is by far the most widely used test. These assays are limited to a few probe sets, require large sample PCR reaction vo

Amiens 2030 - Le quotidien en projets

L’ouvrage Amiens 2030, le quotidien en projets présente les résultats d’un travail de plus de deux ans réalisé par le groupement de praticiens et chercheurs : Bazar Urbain/ Contrepoint/ Chronos/ Zoom. Il a été développé dans le cadre de la consultation lancée en 2010 par la communauté d’agglomération d’Amiens Métropole pour imaginer son futur métropolitain à l’horizon 2030. La singularité de la démarche repose sur deux idées fondatrices : celle d’une « fabrique ordinaire » du territoire (et non seulement extraordinaire), celle de la prise en compte en amont des “paroles et pratiques habitantes” (et non seulement en aval). Pour cela, nous arpentons le territoire dans sa grande échelle, repérons ce que nous nommons les « monuments du quotidien » et « mettons en débat » le devenir de la métropole :• en rencontrant un grand nombre d’habitants et d’acteurs ;• en mettant en œuvre des méthodes de participation innovantes ;• en proposant des modes de représentation inédits.Marches commentées et coupes urbaines, tables longues et ateliers prospectifs, observations thématiques, entretiens in situ et cartes vidéographiques en ligne expriment ainsi le “déjà-là” et les “en-cours” du projet métropolitain. Ce sont eux qui fondent tous nos propos et propositions, en termes de programmation comme en termes de projets. Quatre parties composent l’ouvrage :• Traversées du territoire,• Situations paradigmatiques,• Situations singulières,• Faire métropole.Chacune déploie un grand nombre de projets et d’actions possibles, à des échelles et selon des temporalités variées. Certains s’assemblent, d’autres s’ignorent, d’autres encore se recoupent, tous s’enrichissent mutuellement. Et leur foisonnement ambitionne de “faire monde commun”. Accompagné d’une abondante production vidéo disponible en ligne, l’ouvrage est par principe inachevé : s’il saisit le territoire et ses enjeux tels que nous les avons perçus et mis en projets à Amiens, il suppose, localement, de nombreux prolongements pour devenir opérationnels et intéresse, potentiellement, bien d’autres métropoles

Integrating artificial intelligence into lung cancer screening: a randomised controlled trial protocol

Introduction Lung cancer (LC) is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Its early detection can be achieved with a CT scan. Two large randomised trials proved the efficacy of low-dose CT (LDCT)-based lung cancer screening (LCS) in high-risk populations. The decrease in specific mortality is 20%–25%.Nonetheless, implementing LCS on a large scale faces obstacles due to the low number of thoracic radiologists and CT scans available for the eligible population and the high frequency of false-positive screening results and the long period of indeterminacy of nodules that can reach up to 24 months, which is a source of prolonged anxiety and multiple costly examinations with possible side effects.Deep learning, an artificial intelligence solution has shown promising results in retrospective trials detecting lung nodules and characterising them. However, until now no prospective studies have demonstrated their importance in a real-life setting.Methods and analysis This open-label randomised controlled study focuses on LCS for patients aged 50–80 years, who smoked more than 20 pack-years, whether active or quit smoking less than 15 years ago. Its objective is to determine whether assisting a multidisciplinary team (MDT) with a 3D convolutional network-based analysis of screening chest CT scans accelerates the definitive classification of nodules into malignant or benign. 2722 patients will be included with the aim to demonstrate a 3-month reduction in the delay between lung nodule detection and its definitive classification into benign or malignant.Ethics and dissemination The sponsor of this study is the University Hospital of Nice. The study was approved for France by the ethical committee CPP (Comités de Protection des Personnes) Sud-Ouest et outre-mer III (No. 2022-A01543-40) and the Agence Nationale du Medicament et des produits de Santé (Ministry of Health) in December 2023. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and national and international conference presentations.Trial registration number NCT05704920