%0 Preprint
%T A blueprint for academic labs to produce SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR test kits.
%A Mascuch SJ
%A Fakhretaha-Aval S
%A Bowman JC
%A Ma MTH
%A Thomas G
%A Bommarius B
%A Ito C
%A Zhao L
%A Newnam GP
%A Matange KR
%A Thapa HR
%A Barlow B
%A Donegan RK
%A Nguyen NA
%A Saccuzzo EG
%A Obianyor CT
%A Karunakaran SC
%A Pollet P
%A Rothschild-Mancinelli B
%A Mestre-Fos S
%A Guth-Metzler R
%A Bryksin AV
%A Petrov AS
%A Hazell M
%A Ibberson CB
%A Penev PI
%A Mannino RG
%A Lam WA
%A Garcia AJ
%A Kubanek JM
%A Agarwal V
%A Hud NV
%A Glass JB
%A Williams LD
%A Lieberman RL
%J medRxiv
%V 0
%N 0
%D Sep 2020 1
%M 32766604
暂无%R 10.1101/2020.07.29.20163949
%X Widespread testing for the presence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in individuals remains vital for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic prior to the advent of an effective treatment. Challenges in testing can be traced to an initial shortage of supplies, expertise and/or instrumentation necessary to detect the virus by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the most robust, sensitive, and specific assay currently available. Here we show that academic biochemistry and molecular biology laboratories equipped with appropriate expertise and infrastructure can replicate commercially available SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR test kits and backfill pipeline shortages. The Georgia Tech COVID-19 Test Kit Support Group, composed of faculty, staff, and trainees across the biotechnology quad at Georgia Institute of Technology, synthesized multiplexed primers and probes and formulated a master mix composed of enzymes and proteins produced in-house. Our in-house kit compares favorably to a commercial product used for diagnostic testing. We also developed an environmental testing protocol to readily monitor surfaces across various campus laboratories for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Our blueprint should be readily reproducible by research teams at other institutions, and our protocols may be modified and adapted to enable SARS-CoV-2 detection in more resource-limited settings.