BBMRI-CZ responds to SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in PCR diagnostics

Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute in Brno designed 3D printer drawing of nasopharyngeal (sampling swabs) and printed the plastic base of the sampling stick on 3D printer from the PETG material. After sterilization with ethanol-based disinfection, sampling stick was furnished with polyester wadding and subjected to sterilization at 75°C for 30 min. The newly invented swab stick is flexible enabling mucus collection from the nasal cavity without hurting patients. Having this option in place we overcome the imminent lack of commercially available supplies we are now facing.

There was an inactivation medium based on a strong chaotropic agent 4 M guanidium thiocyanate for protein denaturation, citrate for ion chelation and subsequent RNase inactivation, sarcosyl detergents and finally 2-mercaptoethanol in a concentration above 20 mM for degradation of mucus and virucidal action for coronavirus invented in the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute in Brno as well.

Applicability of both innovations, home-made sampling swabs and denaturation/inactivation media, and their suitability for SARS-CoV-2 detection in biological specimen has been tested and verified.

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Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute in Brno, Czech Republic, is a tertiary cancer care-oriented hospital accredited by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) as a Clinical Cancer Centre, which integrates comprehensive cancer care with cancer research. It is also the host institution of BBMRI-CZ, Czech national node to the BBMRI-ERIC pan-European network (Biobanks and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure Consortium), collecting and storing human biological material and associated clinical data.

BBMRI-CZ – Bank of Clinical Specimens