Visual Detection of Stem-Loop Primer Amplification (SPA) Products without Denaturation Using Peroxidase-like DNA Machines (PxDM)

Rapid, inexpensive, and accurate determination of nucleic acids is a decisive factor in evaluating population’s health and monitoring treatment at point-of-care (POC) settings. Testing systems with visual outputs can provide instrument-free signal detection. Isothermal amplification technologies can substitute conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing due to compatibility with the POC diagnostic. Here, we have visually detected DNA fragments obtained by stem-loop-primer-assisted isothermal amplification (SPA), but not those obtained by PCR or LAMP amplification using DNA nanomachines with peroxidase-like activity (PxDM) with sensitivity to a single nucleotide substitution. Compared to the diagnostics with conventional loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), the PxDM method produces no false positive signals with the non-specific amplification products. The study suggests that PxDM, in conjunction with SPA isothermal amplification, can become a valid platform for POC testing systems.