USPTO Patent Grant: CRISPR-Cas13 for SARS-CoV-2 Detection

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Biotech (C12N)

Published March 17th, 2026

Detected March 22nd, 2026

Summary

The USPTO has granted patent US12577625B2 to The J. David Gladstone Institutes for a method using CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme to detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA. This technology aims to provide rapid, field-deployable diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 infection, including variant identification.

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What changed

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued patent US12577625B2, covering methods for detecting and quantifying SARS-CoV-2 RNA using a CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme complexed with specific guide RNAs. The patent, assigned to The J. David Gladstone Institutes, details applications in diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection, quantifying viral load, identifying splice variants, and monitoring transcription reactivation.

This patent represents a new intellectual property asset in the field of infectious disease diagnostics. While patents do not impose direct regulatory obligations on other entities, they can influence market dynamics and the development of diagnostic tools. Companies operating in the biotechnology and medical device sectors, particularly those involved in infectious disease testing, should be aware of this patented technology, as it may impact their research, development, and commercialization strategies for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Rapid field-deployable detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Grant US12577625B2 Kind: B2 Mar 17, 2026

Assignee

The J. David Gladstone Institutes, a testamentary trust established under the Will of J. David Gladstone

Inventors

Melanie Ott, Parinaz Fozouni, Jennifer A. Doudna, Daniel A. Fletcher, David Savage, Emeric Charles, Sungmin Son, Gagandeep Renuka Kumar, Neil Switz

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods using CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme, complexed with SARS-CoV-2 crRNA guide RNAs to detect and quantify the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a sample with enhanced specificity and sensitivity. These methods can be used to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection, quantify the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA present in a sample, identify the presence of different SARS-CoV-2 splice variants, subtypes, or mutations, and to monitor reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 transcription.