On June 20, 2020, Gracious Life Foundation and the Chinese American Biopharmaceutical Society (CABS) successfully hosted the webinar “challenges after re-opens: will massive testing be our safeguard? ”. The event was co-organized by the Gracious Life Foundation (GLF). Six invited panelists include industry leaders from Bio-techne, BGI Group, Twist Bioscience, as well as academic researchers from University of Texas, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University. Presentations and panel discussions focused on existing and innovative tests, including high throughput PCR testing, antibody testing and point-of-care testing capabilities, and their potentials on achieving widespread availability of rapid, efficient COVID-19 diagnostics. The webinar attracted around 400 life sciences professionals to sign up.
Quan-Zhen Li, MD, Ph.D.
Associate professor, University of Texas
Dr. Li outlined the current state of molecular and immunological testing for SARS-CoV-2, including nucleic acid, antigen, and antibody testing methods. He also described the possibility of using protein arrays as a multiplex platform for testing numerous antigens in parallel with high sensitivity.
Emily Leproust, Ph.D.
CEO and co-founder, Twist Biosciences
Dr. Leproust gave an overview of products from Twist Biosciences that are dedicated to the testing and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. These included synthetic viral RNA controls for validation of diagnostic tests, a SARS-CoV2 research panel for NGS target enrichment to track mutations in the CoV2 genome, and an immunological assay for S1 and ACE2 proteins using antibodies discovered in-house.
Brendan Yee
Director of Immunoassays, Bio-Techne
Mr. Yee described the SARS-CoV-2 serology test that Bio-Techne will be manufacturing through their partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital and Kantaro. The test, a two-phase ELISA assay to assess presence of two proteins unique to SARS-CoV2, was developed by the Icahn School of Medicine and has been performed on over 40,000 SARS-CoV2 patients at Mount Sinai. He also mentioned Bio-Techne’s ELLA Cytokine Storm Panel, an automated ELISA system that will measure cytokine levels in patients to determine when their disease has reached a critical point.
Liben Chen, Ph.D.
Associate Research Scientist, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Chen detailed the magneto fluidics based PROMPT system, designed to address many of the problems present in SARS-CoV-2 testing today. PROMPT would utilize automated qPCR on microfluidics cartridges, providing diagnosis results in just 15-20 minutes while maintaining a very low cost. It is currently pending EUA approval, and will hopefully deploy to various departments in the Johns Hopkins medical system this summer.
Yongwei Zhang, Ph.D.
VP & CEO of Americas, BGI Group
Dr. Zhang discussed BGI’s various solutions and efforts for SARS-CoV2 testing. BGI’s first diagnostic RT-PCR kit was created in Wuhan just 1-2 weeks after the initial outbreak, and was one of the first such tests ever developed. Their other products include the MGISP-869, an automated system using magnetic beads to extract DNA from patient samples.
Laurence Ales, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics, Carnegie Mellon University
Dr. Ales spoke on the global economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in regards to its impact on consumer behavior. Due to the colossal effect of COVID-19 on the lives of individuals worldwide, pandemic fears will likely play a large role in the economies of countries such as the United States for the foreseeable future. Dr. Ales is currently leading a large scale study to elucidate these effects and determine a viable road to economic recovery.