Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41505468›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2026

CRISPR/Cas12a-RCA enables ultrasensitive detection of circulating free DNA for noninvasive diagnosis of echinococcosis.

Jideng Ma, Yumei Zhang, Zian Li, Lanmin Liu, Jide A, Run Liang, Chunhua Cao, Jianwu Zhou, Peng Cheng, Yuqi Li and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Jideng MaCollege of Clinical Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Yumei ZhangCollege of Clinical Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Zian LiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Qinghai Provincial People, s Hospital, Xining, China.
Lanmin LiuDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Qinghai Provincial People, s Hospital, Xining, China.
Jide ADepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Qinghai Provincial People, s Hospital, Xining, China.
Run LiangCollege of Clinical Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Chunhua CaoCollege of Clinical Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Jianwu ZhouDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Qinghai Provincial People, s Hospital, Xining, China.
Peng ChengCollege of Clinical Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Yuqi LiCenter for Tibetan Medicine, Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.
Zhiyuan LiCollege of Clinical Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Li MaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Qinghai Provincial People, s Hospital, Xining, China.
Lei JiangCenter for Tibetan Medicine, Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0031-8951
Xiangren ADepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Qinghai Provincial People, s Hospital, Xining, China.ORCID 0009-0004-7645-1497

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo develop a novel non-invasive CRISPR/Cas12a-RCA assay for the primary screening of human echinococcosis via detection of circulating Echinococcus cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in peripheral blood.

methodsPlasma cfDNA from 20 AE patients was analyzed via high-throughput sequencing to identify conserved repetitive Echinococcus fragments.A one-pot RCA system coupled with CRISPR/Cas12a was optimized for Echinococcus-cfDNA detection. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined using serially diluted synthetic standards, while specificity was validated through mismatch probes and cross-reactivity testing. Clinical validation included 50 AE cases, 22 cystic echinococcosis (CE) cases, 43 non-Echinococcus hepatic disease (HD) cases, and 53 healthy controls (CON).

resultsA conserved repetitive 28S rDNA fragment (pan-Echinococcus-28S) was identified as a biomarker. The CRISPR/Cas12a-RCA assay achieved amplification within 30 minutes at 37 °C, with a linear range of 1 aM to 100 pM and an LOD of 1.41 aM. Visual detection limits were 10 aM (UV light) and 1 aM (blue light). The assay demonstrated high sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (96.9%, AUC = 0.933) in distinguishing Echinococcus infection (AE/CE) from HD and CON.

conclusionThe optimized one-pot CRISPR/Cas12a-RCA system enables rapid and ultrasensitive detection of pan-Echinococcus cfDNA, providing a cost-effective and highly accurate solution for the primary screening of echinococcosis.

Indexed as

Cell-Free Nucleic AcidsCRISPR-Cas SystemsDNA, HelminthEchinococcosisEchinococcusMolecular Diagnostic TechniquesAnimalsFemaleHumansLimit of DetectionMaleSensitivity and SpecificityCell-Free Nucleic AcidsDNA, Helminth

Identifiers

PMID41505468
PMCPMC12810898

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