Abstract
The emergence of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak represents a challenge for the diagnostic laboratories responsible for developing test kits to identify those infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods with rapid and accurate detection are essential to control the sources of infection, to prevent the spread of the disease and to assist decision-making by public health managers. Currently, there is a wide variety of tests available with different detection methodologies, levels of specificity and sensitivity, detection time, and with an extensive range of prices. This review therefore aimed to conduct a patent search in relation to tests for the detection of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. The greatest number of patents identified in the search were registered between 2003 and 2011, being mainly deposited by China, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. Most of the patents used the existing RT-PCR, ELISA, and isothermal amplification methods to develop simple, sensitive, precise, easy to use, low-cost tests that reduced false-negative or false-positive results. The findings of this patent search show that an increasing number of materials and diagnostic tests for the coronavirus are being produced to identify infected individuals and combat the growth of the current pandemic; however, there is still a question in relation to the reliability of the results of these tests.
Highlights
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses that belong to the Coronaviridae family, phylogenetically subdivided into the α, β, γ, and δ genera [1]. β-coronaviruses include Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 [2], with these viruses being identified as the causative agents of zoonotic infections [3]
In the present patent review, the European Patent Office (EPO) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) databases were searched for titles and abstracts that contained the descriptors “coronavirus and MERS,” “coronavirus and COVID,” “coronavirus and 2019-nCoV,” and “coronavirus and SARS.”
It is known that making a fast and reliable diagnosis of a disease is of paramount importance to take fundamental measures for the control and treatment of the disease
Summary
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses that belong to the Coronaviridae family, phylogenetically subdivided into the α, β, γ, and δ genera [1]. β-coronaviruses include SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 [2], with these viruses being identified as the causative agents of zoonotic infections [3]. Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses that belong to the Coronaviridae family, phylogenetically subdivided into the α, β, γ, and δ genera [1]. Β-coronaviruses include SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 [2], with these viruses being identified as the causative agents of zoonotic infections [3]. The first one, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), emerged in Southern China in 2003 [1]. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) appeared in Saudi Arabia, almost a decade after the SARS-CoV outbreak [1, 3]. The last one, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), started in the Chinese province of Guangdong in November 2019 [4]. “Hidden” transmission can occur through asymptomatic infected individuals transmitting the virus [8]
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