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IMAGE: Sean Paz, co-author and a graduate student in FAU s Schmidt College of Medicine, loads COVID-19 tests in a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machine. This laboratory apparatus is most commonly used. view more
Credit: Florida Atlantic University
To properly monitor and help curb the spread of COVID-19, several millions of diagnostic tests are required daily in just the United States alone. There is still a widespread lack of COVID-19 testing in the U.S. and many of the clinical diagnostics protocols require extensive human labor and materials that could face supply shortages and present biosafety concerns.
The current gold standard for COVID-19 diagnostic testing in the U.S., developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is quantitative PCR-based (qPCR) molecular tests that detect the presence of the viral nucleic acid. Although highly accurate, these CDC-approved tests require specialized reagents, equipment, and personnel train