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

A system for detecting and/or quantifying SARS-COV-2RNA in a sample, the system comprising:

• a signal generating system to excite the sample using a signal of a first frequency;
• a camera system to detect fluorescence in the sample;
• a sample cartridge arranged to receive the signal, the sample cartridge comprising at least one Cas13 protein and at least one reporter RNA, the least one Cas13 protein having comprising a sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 43 and a lysine at position 436;
• and
• processing circuitry to detect SARS-COV-2 RNA in the sample based on the fluorescence.

A fluorescence imaging system comprising:

• a system housing;
• an excitation source that generates excitation illumination along an illumination vector within the system housing;
• a sample cartridge having one or more cartridge chambers having elongate profiles, the one or more cartridge chambers that retain one or more samples therein, wherein the sample cartridge contains at least one CRISPR guide RNA (crRNA) that comprises a sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to any of SEQ ID NO:1-35, 58-89 91-146, or 147;
• a cartridge socket that receives the sample cartridge;
• an optical sensor;
• and
• wherein reception of the sample cartridge by the cartridge socket orients the one or more cartridge chambers to an excitation orientation and an observation orientation;
• in the excitation orientation the elongate profiles of the cartridge chambers are aligned with the illumination vector of the excitation illumination;
• and the excitation illumination extends along the elongate profiles according to the alignment;
• and
• in the observation orientation the cartridge chambers and fluorescence from the cartridge chambers are directed toward the optical sensor, wherein;
• the sample cartridge further contains at least one Cas13 protein and at least one reporter RNA;
• the at least one Cas13 protein comprising a sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 43 and a lysine at position 436.