SARS-COV-2 Testing Kit

As we are all aware, SARS-COV-2 virus and the disease it causes, the COVID-19 has been wrecking havoc around the world.

One of things that seem to help, seen in South Korea, is widespread testing. Unfortunately, not every country has the biotech industry to have a test / tests developed and ready to use with a snap of a finger (aka Australia where I live), and here in Australia there doesn't seem to be enough tests available. I was wondering given our expertise here is it possible for people here to cook up something that can be simple and accurate enough to make a difference? I'd love to help, but 1) I have no experience in this area and 2) I'm currently stuck at home packing and getting ready to move long distance for work.

Currently the tests involved RT-PCR and we have the whole genome of SARS-COV-2:

https://mra.asm.org/content/9/11/e00169-20

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/MT072688

Tagged:

Comments

  • edited March 2020
    There is so much red tape getting that kind of stuff approved by the fda.
    Also you would probably need a bs3 lab to develop it, i doubt you can do quality assurance without access to the virus. Maybe though, I’m just a humble uneducated lab tech at a small hospital in Louisiana

    Not sure about laws and what not outside the states, I imagine it’s still pretty heavily regulated. I could be wrong
  • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/rt-pcr-detection-instructions.html
    This is good info.

    I'm not a DIYBio focus, so I'm not qualified to make judgements on this. I do have some familiarity with the processes. My understanding is that the problem is less related to how many sample collection kits are available (they're relatively simple), and more related to the availability of primers or whatever other compounds they use to indicate the presence of the virus. There's also concern about the bandwidth of the testing facilities. Not all labs are kitted out with the appropriate PCR equipment so volume is low in some places, plus the availability of qualified staff is limited at this time.
  • @actii said:
    There is so much red tape getting that kind of stuff approved by the fda.
    Also you would probably need a bs3 lab to develop it, i doubt you can do quality assurance without access to the virus. Maybe though, I’m just a humble uneducated lab tech at a small hospital in Louisiana

    Not sure about laws and what not outside the states, I imagine it’s still pretty heavily regulated. I could be wrong

    Oh, no. I wasn't thinking about making it official or anything. It's just that if people can DIY test themselves (or just get some "test" done) and then isolate if it's positive it might have the same effect as mass official testing (aka South Korea). Even if it turns out to be a false positive it would just mean that the person is self-isolated.

    @Satur9 said:
    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/rt-pcr-detection-instructions.html
    This is good info.

    I'm not a DIYBio focus, so I'm not qualified to make judgements on this. I do have some familiarity with the processes. My understanding is that the problem is less related to how many sample collection kits are available (they're relatively simple), and more related to the availability of primers or whatever other compounds they use to indicate the presence of the virus. There's also concern about the bandwidth of the testing facilities. Not all labs are kitted out with the appropriate PCR equipment so volume is low in some places, plus the availability of qualified staff is limited at this time.

    I was told that what the South Koreans did is that they just pumped out tests that they regard as "good enough" as opposed to "perfect". I'll need to check what they regard as "good enough" though.

Sign In or Register to comment.