Group testing for SARS-CoV-2. New project of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology
The project aims to develop a new strategy of group testing in SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics. The method can be used to quickly examine residents and staff of a particular nursing home, or patients and medical professionals of a given hospital unit.
From left: Asst. Prof. Aleksandra Pękowska and Prof. Agnieszka Dobrzyń from the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science
This method will make it possible to determine, by performing several, instead of several hundred determinations, whether there is a person infected with the virus within a given group.
The SONAR project combines the latest approaches in SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics:
• group testing,
• mathematical modeling,
• fast and extremely sensitive tests for detecting virus particles in samples taken from patients.
Scientists will develop a special diagnostic protocol and software that will allow the implementation of group testing in laboratories.
Why is this so important?
Group testing can be used e.g. in nursing homes or hospitals. High throughput of virus detection (100,000 tests per day) will be crucial to fight COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, as in the near future it will be necessary to constantly control the level of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
The method will help to return to normal functioning of our societies and economies, as it will enable:
• group testing of employees (in production plants, educational institutions, offices, etc.);
• continuous monitoring the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in employees of medical facilities;
• identifying asymptomatic virus carriers within the population.
Mass diagnostics are probably the best tactic in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who is behind this?
The head of the project is Prof. Agnieszka Dobrzyń, director of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology.
The coordinator for the assessment of test sensitivity, and the development of protocol for the implementation of group testing in practice is Asst. Prof. Aleksandra Pękowska, head of Chromatin and Epigenomics Biology Laboratory, Centre of Scientific Excellence DIOSCURI, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences.
The coordinator for optimization of the algorithm for group testing procedure, and development of software for implementation of the method in practice is Asst. Prof. Szymon Toruńczyk from the Institute of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Mechanics, University of Warsaw.
The project was financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Source of information and photos: Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences
