They combined a CRISPR-Cas12 system with a “reporter” molecule, which was a fluorescent signal connected to a bit of DNA. When the CRISPR-Cas12 system found a targeted sequence of DNA, it would also chop up the reporter molecules and cause a glowing signal. The result was a diagnostic tool that could detect whether the patient had a particular virus or bacteria or cancer. Chen and Harrington dubbed it the “DNA endonuclease targeted CRISPR trans reporter,” a very clunky phrase that was crafted in order to create the CRISPR-like acronym DETECTR.
