Disclosed herein are methods of detecting viral nucleic acids in a sample that include contacting the sample with one or more sets of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) primers specific for a viral nucleic acid of interest (such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis E virus, human immunodeficiency virus, West Nile virus, or Dengue virus nucleic acids) under conditions sufficient to produce an amplification product and detecting the amplification product(s). In some examples, the amplification product is detected by gel electrophoresis, while in other examples, the amplification product is detected by detecting signal from a label included in one or more of the LAMP primers. Primers and kits for use for detection of viral nucleic acids by LAMP are also disclosed herein.

The invention provides an antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof capable of binding to the antigen binding pocket of the AP33 antibody, wherein said antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprises VL CDR1 (L1), VL CDR2 (L2), and VL CDR.sub.3 (L.sub.3) consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2 and SEQ ID NO:23 respectively, and comprises VH CDR1 (H1), VH CDR2 (H2), and VH CDR3 (H3) consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, and SEQ ID NO:26 respectively. The invention also provides compositions, methods, nucleic acids and uses.

The present invention concerns the amplification of at least a first and a second target nucleic acid that may be present in at least one fluid sample using RNase H and a polymerase with reverse transcriptase activity.

Disclosed herein are assays, systems, and kits for the detection and diagnosis of hepatitis virus infections in subjects.

A method for evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of interferon (IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) for hepatitis C is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a specimen; mixing the specimen, a primer of a miRNA Let-7g and a poly-chain reaction (PCR) reagent together; and evaluating the efficacy of IFN/RBV on inhibiting a hepatitis C virus according to the expressing level of the miRNA Let-7g in the specimen detected by the PCR reagent.

A molecular detection assay including treating a biological sample directly with a bisulphite agent under conditions that allow cell disruption and nucleic acid treatment; removing the bisulphite agent from the treated sample; and detecting a target nucleic acid in the treated sample.

Modified non-human mammalian hepatoma cell lines that express hepatitis C virus (HCV) antigens and which are capable of generating tumours in a syngeneic animal model are provided. The cell lines are generated by genomic integration of an expression construct that comprises one or more HCV antigen-encoding sequences under the control of a constitutive promoter. The expression construct further comprises a selectable marker and a reporter gene under the control of the same promoter. The cell lines are useful for testing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against HCV either in vitro or in vivo.

The present disclosure relates to a nanotechnology-based molecular sensing system, compositions, and methods that can be adapted to accurately detect a target gene in clinical samples, using anti-sense oligonucleotide capped plasmonic nanoparticles for selective detection of biological pathogens.

Probe sets capable of detecting pathogen nucleic acids in a sample are described. The probe set can be provided on a solid support, such as a microarray. Methods of detecting pathogen nucleic acids in a sample using the probe set are also provided. In some examples, the probes and methods are capable of detecting one or more RNA viruses, one or more DNA viruses, one or more bacterial nucleic acids, and/or one or more protozoan nucleic acids in a sample.

Methods of concentrating RNA from wastewater and quantifying the RNA by digital amplification are provided.