Tulane Researchers Develop CRISPR Tongue Swab Revolutionizing Tuberculosis Detection

Researchers at Tulane University have developed a novel CRISPR-based tuberculosis test called ActCRISPR-TB that detects TB DNA from a simple tongue swab, offering a painless and easily accessible alternative to traditional sputum-based testing. This method addresses significant diagnostic challenges since sputum collection is difficult or impossible for many patients, including children, HIV-positive individuals, and those with extrapulmonary TB, contributing to millions of undiagnosed cases annually. The test demonstrated 74% sensitivity on tongue swabs compared to 56% for conventional methods, with even higher sensitivity in respiratory samples (93%), pediatric stool (83%), and adult spinal fluid (93%). The assay returns results in under an hour via a straightforward, point-of-care approach similar to rapid COVID-19 tests, making it well-suited for large-scale community screenings, particularly in low-resource and remote settings. This breakthrough has the potential to significantly improve early TB detection worldwide, reducing disease spread and enabling timely treatment for populations that currently face barriers to diagnosis.