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Admitting and identifying the problem is the first step. The Cleveland Clinic just came out with an 8 hour test and hopefully this will help the situation if t

by pgrote 7y ago

Admitting and identifying the problem is the first step. The Cleveland Clinic just came out with an 8 hour test and hopefully this will help the situation if they share the process. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/12/21175034/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-usa https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/12/21175034/co...

thearn4 7y ago
I live in Cleveland, and it sounds like they're considering the drive-thru testing approach as a possibility. Hoping this ramps up this month.
throw7337 7y ago
There is nothing secret about RNA testing. Any decent lab can synthetise its own markers from a file downloaded from internet. It is like genetic research is illegal in US or what.
- tlb 7y ago
  Offering a diagnostic test without FDA approval is illegal, for good reason (there would be companies far worse than Theranos) but clearly in an emergency regulators need to adapt.
  - wbl 7y ago
    That's not true for tests developed in the lab they are used in.
    - vmh1928 7y ago
      In Arizona, Mayo Clinic, Sonora Quest Laboratories, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Flagstaff are rolling out their own tests. Official test kits from the CDC are in woefully short supply, under 200 right now, and only being used for people showing significant symptoms. According to a news article the new tests will use a technique similar to the CDC test known as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, otherwise shortened to RT-PCR
  - allovernow 7y ago
    You're not considering the upside of relaxing these regulations. There are far more legitimate labs than there are theranoses.
    - SAI_Peregrinus 7y ago
      You're not considering that a big part of the reason for that might be due to the regulations!
  - masonic 7y ago
    Offering a diagnostic test without FDA approval is illegal Only if they charge for it.
- ncallaway 7y ago
  1) Regulatory issues 2) The reagents needed for the testing are also in extremely short supply, and labs are having a hard time getting more. So, you can develop a test, but your testing capacity will remain limited.
  - wbl 7y ago
    Chloroform, phenol, and water are all availible in tanker car quantities.
    - chromatin 7y ago
      Column based RNA purification is more reliable and more appropriate in a clinical lab. Qiagen is triple* overtiming production to meet demand. *unscientific guess for literary effect
chromatin 7y ago
I mean, kudos to CCF, but take this for what it's worth (from another tier 1 University Hospital): Most university hospitals' in house test results are / are going to be available in similar time frame, but they do not have the media budget of the Cleveland Clinic. Vox article links to a CCF press release fluff piece.
- divbzero 7y ago
  Yes, kudos just the same. Other labs across the US are ramping up similar tests. This is exactly what we need and we shouldn’t mind all of them taking credit for their contributions.
fbourque 7y ago
Not exactly a breakthrough as testing take 3-5 hours in other countries... and in the US. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/were-behind-curve-us-hospitals-confront-challenges-large-scale-coronavirus-testing https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/were-behind-curve-us... Q: What's the turnaround time when you have a sample on hand? How long does it take to extract RNA from the sample, put it into a polymerase chain reaction machine, etc.? A: About 2 to 3 hours to do the testing, but because the process requires us to batch samples, you can't really just test the sample as they come in. In order to conserve reagents and labor, you' wait until you have a certain bolus of samples and then test them together. So you do testing once or twice a day.

by pgrote 7y ago

thearn4 7y ago

I live in Cleveland, and it sounds like they're considering the drive-thru testing approach as a possibility. Hoping this ramps up this month.

throw7337 7y ago

There is nothing secret about RNA testing. Any decent lab can synthetise its own markers from a file downloaded from internet. It is like genetic research is illegal in US or what.

tlb 7y ago
Offering a diagnostic test without FDA approval is illegal, for good reason (there would be companies far worse than Theranos) but clearly in an emergency regulators need to adapt.
- wbl 7y ago
  That's not true for tests developed in the lab they are used in.
  - vmh1928 7y ago
    In Arizona, Mayo Clinic, Sonora Quest Laboratories, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Flagstaff are rolling out their own tests. Official test kits from the CDC are in woefully short supply, under 200 right now, and only being used for people showing significant symptoms. According to a news article the new tests will use a technique similar to the CDC test known as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, otherwise shortened to RT-PCR
- allovernow 7y ago
  You're not considering the upside of relaxing these regulations. There are far more legitimate labs than there are theranoses.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 7y ago
    You're not considering that a big part of the reason for that might be due to the regulations!
- masonic 7y ago
  Offering a diagnostic test without FDA approval is illegal Only if they charge for it.
ncallaway 7y ago
1) Regulatory issues 2) The reagents needed for the testing are also in extremely short supply, and labs are having a hard time getting more. So, you can develop a test, but your testing capacity will remain limited.
- wbl 7y ago
  Chloroform, phenol, and water are all availible in tanker car quantities.
  - chromatin 7y ago
    Column based RNA purification is more reliable and more appropriate in a clinical lab. Qiagen is triple* overtiming production to meet demand. *unscientific guess for literary effect

chromatin 7y ago

I mean, kudos to CCF, but take this for what it's worth (from another tier 1 University Hospital): Most university hospitals' in house test results are / are going to be available in similar time frame, but they do not have the media budget of the Cleveland Clinic. Vox article links to a CCF press release fluff piece.

divbzero 7y ago
Yes, kudos just the same. Other labs across the US are ramping up similar tests. This is exactly what we need and we shouldn’t mind all of them taking credit for their contributions.

fbourque 7y ago

Not exactly a breakthrough as testing take 3-5 hours in other countries... and in the US. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/were-behind-curve-us-hospitals-confront-challenges-large-scale-coronavirus-testing https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/were-behind-curve-us... Q: What's the turnaround time when you have a sample on hand? How long does it take to extract RNA from the sample, put it into a polymerase chain reaction machine, etc.? A: About 2 to 3 hours to do the testing, but because the process requires us to batch samples, you can't really just test the sample as they come in. In order to conserve reagents and labor, you' wait until you have a certain bolus of samples and then test them together. So you do testing once or twice a day.