{"638753":{"#nid":"638753","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Coronavirus Test Kits? We\u2019ve Got A Recipe For That","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAt the start of the coronavirus pandemic, an interdisciplinary group of College of Sciences researchers teamed up with colleagues in the College of Engineering and quickly pivoted away from their normal research areas \u0026ndash; astrobiology, the evolution of RNA and DNA, the role of proteins in diseases like glaucoma \u0026ndash; and began using their skills to produce more desperately-needed virus test kits for Georgia residents.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther schools and colleges at Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/helpingstories.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ehave also been involved in efforts\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;to build virus tests, along with researching vaccines and therapeutic treatments, building personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitizer, virology modeling, and more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow the interdisciplinary efforts led by College of Sciences researchers to develop a \u0026ldquo;recipe\u0026rdquo; for creating virus test kits are detailed in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/m.jbc.org\/content\/early\/2020\/09\/03\/jbc.RA120.015434.short\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ea research paper published September 3\u003C\/a\u003E in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jbc.org\/\u0022\u003EJournal of Biological Chemistry\u003C\/a\u003E, which has selected the work as a September \u0026quot;Editor\u0026#39;s Pick\u0026quot;.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kubanek.biosci.gatech.edu\/samantha-mascuch\/\u0022\u003ESamantha Mascuch\u003C\/a\u003E, a postdoctoral scholar with the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cool.gatech.edu\/people\/fakhretaha-sarah\u0022\u003ESara Fakhrehtaha-Aval\u003C\/a\u003E, a graduate student in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E, are co-first authors of \u0026ldquo;A blueprint for academic labs to produce SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR test kits.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/glass-dr-jennifer\u0022\u003EJennifer Glass\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, and two professors from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~lw26\/\u0022\u003ELoren Williams\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/lieberman\/raquel\u0022\u003ERaquel Lieberman\u003C\/a\u003E, are the co-corresponding authors of the paper.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech COVID-19 Test Kit Support Group includes researchers from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences\u003C\/a\u003E; the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/schools\/chemical-and-biomolecular-engineering\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E; the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(which Georgia Tech shares with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.emory.edu\/home\/index.html\u0022\u003EEmory University\u003C\/a\u003E); and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ien.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInstitute for Electronics and Nanotechnology\u003C\/a\u003E. The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.choa.org\/medical-services\/cancer-and-blood-disorders\u0022\u003EAflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children\u0026#39;s Healthcare of Atlanta\u003C\/a\u003E, and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/med.emory.edu\/departments\/pediatrics\/\u0022\u003EDepartment of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;also participated.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe group\u0026rsquo;s researchers are also part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gov.georgia.gov\/press-releases\/2020-03-31\/gov-kemp-university-system-georgia-announce-covid-19-testing-ramp\u0022\u003EGeorgia COVID-19 State Lab Surge Capacity Task Force\u003C\/a\u003E, which is managed by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u0026ldquo;RT-qPCR\u0026rdquo; in the paper\u0026rsquo;s title refers to quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, a form of virus testing that is considered \u0026ldquo;the most robust, sensitive, and specific assay currently available,\u0026rdquo; according to the paper\u0026rsquo;s abstract.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/634631\/georgia-tech-produces-key-components-governors-coronavirus-test-initiative\u0022\u003EIn the spring\u003C\/a\u003E, 35 volunteers helped turn campus labs into assembly lines for the components needed for virus test kits. The paper details how academic biochemistry and molecular biology labs equipped with appropriate expertise and infrastructure can produce the RT-qPCR assay and fill in shortages in testing pipelines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELieberman, whose research includes\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/science-matters\/season-2-episode-3-focusing-mutant-proteins-help-glaucoma-patients\u0022\u003Estudies of proteins involved in certain forms of childhood-onset glaucoma\u003C\/a\u003E, says her experience with the group also helped her with her normal research goals.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;My lab learned some new tricks for mass producing proteins,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;One of those tricks has inspired us to revisit how we produce one of our workhorse proteins in the lab. We also learned about all sorts of cool instrumentation and expertise across campus -- instruments and folks we should have learned of or met years ago, but had not connected with prior to participating in this project.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Working on this project was a great way for my lab to leverage its expertise, and simultaneously learn a new area of biochemistry, one with the ultimate real-life application.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our work with Covid-19 taught us to be expert at counting viral RNA molecules,\u0026rdquo; Williams says. \u0026ldquo;We see many applications of this technology in our research on ribosomal RNAs. We have now purchased our own\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/us\/en\/home\/life-science\/pcr\/real-time-pcr\/real-time-pcr-instruments\/quantstudio-qpcr-product-portfolio.html\u0022\u003EQuantStudio\u003C\/a\u003E, which is a machine we used for RT-qPCR analysis of viral RNA.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELearn about \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/634631\/georgia-tech-produces-key-components-governors-coronavirus-test-initiative\u0022\u003Espring test kit production\u003C\/a\u003E, and Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/E04frGGwviY\u0022\u003Enew surveillance testing efforts\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the spring and summer, an effort led by researchers across three Sciences schools created SARS-CoV-2 test kits that helped fill testing gaps across Georgia. Now, they\u0026#39;re sharing that test kit recipe in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, which has selected the research as a September \u0026quot;Editor\u0026rsquo;s Pick\u0026quot;.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In the spring and summer, an effort led by three College of Sciences schools created SARS-CoV-2 test kits that helped fill testing gaps across Georgia. Now, they\u0027re sharing that test kit recipe in the Journal of Biological Chemistry."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2020-09-03 18:05:31","changed_gmt":"2020-09-08 13:46:03","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634432":{"id":"634432","type":"image","title":"Samantha Mascuch","body":null,"created":"1586987511","gmt_created":"2020-04-15 21:51:51","changed":"1586987511","gmt_changed":"2020-04-15 21:51:51","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241433","name":"Sam Mascuch Reagents 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Test Kits"},{"url":"https:\/\/helpingstories.gatech.edu","title":"Georgia Tech Responding to Covid-19"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/astrobiologists-aid-georgia-covid-19-test-initiative","title":"Astrobiologists Aid in Georgia Covid-19 Test Initiative"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/science-matters\/season-2-episode-3-focusing-mutant-proteins-help-glaucoma-patients","title":"ScienceMatters S2 E3: Helping Glaucoma Patients"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"EAS"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of 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