CRISPR/Cas13a-Driven Catalytic Hairpin Assembly of a Quantum Dot Nanobeacon for Viral RNA Detection

Influenza A (H1N1), which is a highly contagious respiratory pathogen, poses a serious public health threat. Its effective control necessitates rapid and accurate detection methods. Here, we developed a novel quantum dot (QDs) nanobeacon-based biosensor that synergistically integrates the precise target recognition and trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR/Cas13a with the isothermal, enzyme-free signal amplification power of catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) for sensitive detection of H1N1 RNA. This system achieves dual signal amplification, enabling detection with a remarkably low limit of detection (LOD) of 95.2 aM within 40 min. Excellent specificity distinguishes H1N1 from other common influenza viruses. Crucially, the programmability of crRNA endows the method with broad versatility. Beyond influenza virus detection, it was successfully applied to SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection, achieving an LOD of 87.0 aM, demonstrating its potential for diverse pathogen diagnostics. These results collectively demonstrate the high performance and adaptability of this diagnostic platform, highlighting its significant promise for future applications in the rapid and sensitive detection of diverse viral pathogens.