SHERLOCK (CRISPR-Cas13 Diagnostics)

Demonstration that Cas13a, once activated by binding its target RNA, indiscriminately cleaves nearby single-stranded RNA reporters ("collateral cleavage") -- a natural defense-amplification trait of this CRISPR-Cas variant -- repurposed into a rapid, sequence-specific nucleic-acid diagnostic. Gootenberg, Abudayyeh, Lee, Essletzbichler, Dy, Joung, Verdine, Donghia, Daringer & Zhang (Feng Zhang's lab), "Nucleic acid detection with CRISPR-Cas13a/C2c2" (Science 356, 438-442, 2017-04-13, OpenAlex W2606915822, 3,955 citations). A "second wave" translation of the same CRISPR-Cas mechanism family (see the linked precursor node) into diagnostics rather than editing -- commercialized by Sherlock Biosciences, including an FDA-authorized COVID-19 test.