CARYN HELDT: So the first step in the process
of testing for SARS-CoV-2 is to do an extraction.
And so let me take you into the lab
and show you what we're doing.
[DOOR OPENING]
Since this is a medical lab, the first thing-- first step
is actually bringing in the samples
and having a good intake process and having
a robust way of keeping track of all of our samples
through the system.
And so that's what the people are doing over there
with the computers is bringing in all of our samples
and giving them accession numbers
in ways that we can track them through the process.
So then when we come over here, here we're
getting set up to do RNA extractions.
So Rosie, would you like to tell them
a little bit about the process?
ROSIE: Sure.
So we get our samples from the hospitals
or different universities.
Once we get a sample, we transfer everything from there
to these vials so that we can re-extract it further.
From the samples, then we did 140 microliters
and then we add it to a tube and then followed
by the lysis stuffer.
Lysis disrupts the cell.
But from that, as we know, we are just looking for RNA.
So then we use a certain procedures and protocol
which eliminates all the other organic components,
except for RNA.
And then in the end, we use these special types of column
which have matrix in it.
These matrix have the capability to bind with RNA,
but not other things.
So in the end, we use this vacuum
to allow the wash buffer one, wash buffer two to pass
through and in the end we get RNA, which is further
send to the PCR for extraction.
Yeah.
Thank you.
SPEAKER 1: So after this we will take the RNA samples
and we will go over to PCR.
And this is the second step of our process,
which is our PCR lab.
And so this is where we actually can detect
how a virus is in each sample.
So this is Amy, she's actually running the [INAUDIBLE] plate
set up to run the PCR.
AMY: Yes.
So in here we have already extracted from patient samples,
as well as a 96 well PCR plate.
And essentially, what I do is I take
5 microliters of the patient's sample, which is just RNA,
and placed it into the PCR plate.
There are three wells that each patient sample gets run on,
which means there are three different primary sets
that we're using to run these samples.
CARYN HELDT: And so with the three primer sets,
we're looking--
two of them are looking for the SARS-CoV-2 virus,
and one is proving just that we have a human sample present.
And so that's just kind of a control
to make sure that either the sample was taken correctly
or there wasn't any error in our RNA extract.
So once the plates are all set up, we recognize VCR machines.
And the VCR machines will give you an example similar to this.
And so basically, once a primer set
starts amplifying, which means we can detect it,
then we start getting these lines that come up
in a very regular pattern.
And so that is how we determine that we
have something positive.
And so this particular plate may or may not
have a positive patient sample on it,
because we have those RP primers that amplify for every sample
because it's a human sample, and we also have positive controls.
So the last step in our process is
to actually take the results from the PCR
and to then create an actual result document for the health
care providers.
And so our team in the office is creating these final report
results and then faxing them to the different providers
and the health department.