India, June 15 -- Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune have developed an improved, low-cost diagnostic method to detect viral infections such as Covid-19 and Zika. The research, published in a scientific journal titled ACS Synthetic Biology on May 29, 2025, demonstrates a novel approach to enhancing the sensitivity and speed of RNA-based diagnostics using synthetic biology tools known as toehold switches.

The core team behind the study includes Tanvi Kale, Rudvi Pednekar, and Professor Chaitanya Athale from IISER Pune's Department of Biology. The project was carried out in close collaboration with international partners-Dr Keith Pardee from the University of Toronto, Canada, and Dr Fernan F...