KCL TEST: an open-source inspired asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 surveillance programme in an academic institution.

IF 2.5 Q3 BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS
Biology Methods and Protocols Pub Date : 2024-06-20 eCollection Date: 2024-01-01 DOI:10.1093/biomethods/bpae046
Joana Reis de Andrade, Edward Scourfield, Shilpa Lekhraj Peswani-Sajnani, Kate Poulton, Thomas Ap Rees, Paniz Khooshemehri, George Doherty, Stephanie Ong, Iustina-Francisca Ivan, Negin Goudarzi, Isaac Gardiner, Estelle Caine, Thomas J A Maguire, Daniel Leightley, Luis Torrico, Alex Gasulla, Angel Menendez-Vazquez, Ana Maria Ortega-Prieto, Suzanne Pickering, Jose M Jimenez-Guardeño, Rahul Batra, Sona Rubinchik, Aaron V F Tan, Amy Griffin, David Sherrin, Stelios Papaioannou, Celine Trouillet, Hannah E Mischo, Victoriano Giralt, Samantha Wilson, Martin Kirk, Stuart J D Neil, Rui Pedro Galao, Jo Martindale, Charles Curtis, Mark Zuckerman, Reza Razavi, Michael H Malim, Rocio T Martinez-Nunez
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Rapid and accessible testing was paramount in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our university established KCL TEST: a SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic testing programme that enabled sensitive and accessible PCR testing of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva. Here, we describe our learnings and provide our blueprint for launching diagnostic laboratories, particularly in low-resource settings. Between December 2020 and July 2022, we performed 158277 PCRs for our staff, students, and their household contacts, free of charge. Our average turnaround time was 16 h and 37 min from user registration to result delivery. KCL TEST combined open-source automation and in-house non-commercial reagents, which allows for rapid implementation and repurposing. Importantly, our data parallel those of the UK Office for National Statistics, though we detected a lower positive rate and virtually no delta wave. Our observations strongly support regular asymptomatic community testing as an important measure for decreasing outbreaks and providing safe working spaces. Universities can therefore provide agile, resilient, and accurate testing that reflects the infection rate and trend of the general population. Our findings call for the early integration of academic institutions in pandemic preparedness, with capabilities to rapidly deploy highly skilled staff, as well as develop, test, and accommodate efficient low-cost pipelines.

KCL TEST:一个学术机构的开源无症状 SARS-CoV-2 监测计划。
在应对 COVID-19 大流行的过程中,快速、便捷的检测至关重要。我们大学建立了 KCL TEST:SARS-CoV-2 无症状检测项目,能够对唾液中的 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 进行灵敏、便捷的 PCR 检测。在此,我们将介绍我们的经验教训,并提供我们启动诊断实验室的蓝图,尤其是在资源匮乏的环境中。2020 年 12 月至 2022 年 7 月期间,我们免费为员工、学生及其家庭接触者进行了 158277 次 PCR 检测。从用户注册到结果送达,我们的平均周转时间为 16 小时 37 分钟。KCL TEST 将开源自动化与内部非商业试剂相结合,从而实现了快速实施和重复使用。重要的是,我们的数据与英国国家统计局的数据相似,但我们检测到的阳性率较低,而且几乎没有三角波。我们的观察结果有力地证明,定期进行无症状社区检测是减少疫情爆发和提供安全工作场所的重要措施。因此,大学可以提供敏捷、灵活和准确的检测,以反映普通人群的感染率和趋势。我们的研究结果呼吁尽早将学术机构纳入大流行病防备工作,使其具备快速部署高技能人员的能力,以及开发、测试和适应高效低成本管道的能力。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Biology Methods and Protocols
Biology Methods and Protocols Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Agricultural and Biological Sciences (all)
CiteScore
3.80
自引率
2.80%
发文量
28
审稿时长
19 weeks
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