A team of Irish scientists has joined forces to formulate the chemical reagent needed to test for COVID-19.
An increased need for testing has resulted in a worldwide shortage of chemical reagents.
This shortage has limited the ability of testing labs all around the world to carry out sufficient testing.
A team of hospital, university & biopharma scientists from Cork and Limerick have come together to formulate a lysis buffer which will allow the country’s laboratories to continue to test for COVID-19.
Working remotely, the team formulated and validated a lysis buffer in the space of a week which can be used in the hospital testing labs.
“This buffer will ease the burden on hospital labs in their heroic efforts to screen and deliver diagnostic data” said Dr Martina Scallan, School of Microbiology. UCC, who spearheaded this initiative with Dr Brigid Lucey, CIT, President of the ACSLM.
“Hopefully these efforts can help protect all the frontline medical, scientific and support staff in this battle to fight COVID-19,” Dr Lucey said.
