‘Portable coronavirus labs’ built into shipping containers which can be moved about on a truck could provide a new low-cost way to process COVID-19 tests.
Scientists from OpenCell.bio and King’s College London worked with a company called Opentrons Labworks to create the rapid robot-powered facility.
The team say it is the first fully functional lab that can be ‘immediately deployed anywhere in the world’ for coronavirus testing and can process 2,400 tests per day.
The system uses low-cost liquid handling robots to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in samples submitted for testing by the public.
‘Portable coronavirus labs’ built into shipping containers which can be moved about on a truck could provide a new low-cost way to process COVID-19 tests.
Scientists from OpenCell.bio and King’s College London worked with a company called Opentrons Labworks to create the rapid robot-powered facility
For the project a 40ft high-cube shipping container is converted to a high laboratory specification while preserving its structural integrity and ability to be transported anywhere in the world and operated by one person
Called CONTAIN, it’s an open source design using supplies and agents not owned by any one company – meaning it doesn’t have the same supply chain constraints as other coronavirus testing services.
OpenCell CEO Helene Steiner says the project is a vital step to increasing the number of accredited labs capable of performing COVID-19 testing.
‘We are working closely with regulators to ensure our testing lab system remains capable of high quality, low cost and meets the rigorous standards required to perform population testing,’ said Steiner.
For the project a 40ft high-cube shipping container is converted to a high laboratory specification while preserving its structural integrity and ability to be transported.
The design allows CONTAIN units to be shipped to any location rapidly, and requires only flat, solid ground and utilities (electricity, water) to be operation-ready.
A data management system tracks samples through the automated testing process using QR codes and unique sample IDs.
Testing follows the gold standard for COVID-19 testing, and is carried out in a three-stage process, according to the team behind the study.
Station A (sample handling), Station B (RNA extraction), and Station C (qPCR).
Station B and C are automated using Opentrons liquid handling robots, allowing a single operator to run the laboratory and deliver 92 tests every 45 minutes.
The data management system automatically interprets qPCR data – used to measure RNA – and securely communicates results to the patient or healthcare provider.
Called CONTAIN, it’s an open source design using supplies and agents not owned by any one company – meaning it doesn’t have the same supply chain constraints as other coronavirus testing services. It can be delivered anywhere in the world and built up in any container
Testing follows the gold standard for COVID-19 testing, and is carried out in a three-stage process, according to the team behind the study
Testing follows the gold standard for COVID-19 testing, and is carried out in a simple process, according to the team behind the study. They say it is able to take ptient samples, run it through robotic systems and generate results quickly
Opentrons has already deployed more than 250 robots to do COVID-19 testing in labs around the world, now with containers they can be more widely deployed.
Lead author Kenneth Walker, who just completed his Ph.D. in synthetic biology at Imperial College, said the automation process was complicated.
‘The automation work required was a big step and this is the first time a team has done this with open-source robotics that don’t cost the earth,’ said Walker.
Open Cell said this is a once in a century global crisis with lives and livelihoods around the world severely disrupted.
‘Until a vaccine is developed, regular testing on a massive scale is necessary to allow people to work and live safely,’ the group said.
‘This has inspired us to create CONTAIN, whose goal is to enable rapid scale-up of testing capacity and make it accessible and affordable to everyone.
‘A shortage of suitable laboratory space has limited the global testing response; CONTAIN units allow a nimble response to the shifting geography of the outbreak.’