Customer Case | Zymo Research uses OT-2 for new coronavirus detection

Zymo Research provides biomedical tools and services to researchers working on COVID-19 testing, including support for Opentrons customers.

Zymo Research is a provider of biomedical tools and Businesses that serve. Currently, they are helping major laboratories conduct new coronavirus testing. To this end, they created a complete new coronavirus detection workflow from sample collection, RNA extraction to rRT-PCR-based detection. , this workflow has entered the FDA's pre-emergency use authorization review status. Zymo Research as Opentrons' co-development test system partner, Zymo Research is willing to offer support to anyone interested in loading this workflow intoOpentrons Liquid Handling Robot.

Today we invited Zymo’s research expert Casey Cruz to share with you how they use OT-2 for COVID-19 testing to help fight the global epidemic.

Opentrons: What was your daily life like before the outbreak?

Casey Cruz: Before the outbreak, we initially purchased OT-2 for RNA-Seq library preparation. If our work no longer needs to be used for COVID-19 detection, we are still very much looking forward to working with Opentrons Collaborate on this project. To this end, we have even written a script for rRT-PCR setup and hope to apply it to Pangea Laboratories’s SARA-CoV-2 Laboratory Developed Test (LDT). As a product manager for RiboFree RNA-Seq Kit, I am fascinated by the price of OT-2 and attracted by the open source community of Opentrons. During the initial verification period of the project, it performed very well in all aspects, but due to the outbreak, I had to temporarily change the research direction and instead invest in assisting the new coronavirus detection project.

Opentrons: Is what you do now different from your daily routine?

Casey: Our work now is to submit an FDA Emergency Use Authorization application for the COVID-19 testing workflow. This project workflow includes sample collection to RNA extraction to rRT-PCR detection, from transport media to DNA/RNA protectants Initially, the new coronavirus needs to be completely inactivated during sample collection and transportation, so that RNA can be stored at room temperature for up to 30 days. This is a great way to have practical applications where DNA/RNA in biological samples can be preserved without a cold chain and used in automated sample processing workflows when the samples are shipped back to the laboratory.

Next, we used Quick-DNA/RNA Viral MagBead Kit for RNA extraction , and use the Quick-SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR Test Kit to complete the workflow of new coronavirus detection.

Pangea Laboratories is a CLIA-certified and CAP-certified clinical testing laboratory. The SARA-CoV-2 laboratory developed test (LDT) here starts with the receipt of the sample. Then they use KingFisher to extract RNA and use Quick-SARS- CoV-2 rRT-PCR kit detects novel coronavirus. This workflow uses reagents that Zymo Research is currently awaiting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Getting this system up and running and conducting verification experiments for emergency use authorization (EUA) is the main work the Pangea team is currently doing.

Opentrons: What excites you most about the COVID-19 testing project?

Casey: What excites me most is that this project is helping people in need during this critical time. Many times when you do research you feel far removed from the results, but this was different. Through this new coronavirus detection workflow, I can clearly feel that our technology is helping medical professionals and helping to prevent the spread of the disease, which will affect the lives and health of many people. I'm grateful to be able to contribute to something that will have a lasting impact on the world and really make a difference.

Opentrons: What do you think are the key takeaways about this project?

Casey: I think the key is ensuring safe transport of clinical samples. DNA/RNA protectants ensure virus inactivation, thereby ensuring the safety of those conducting diagnostic tests; all the test personnel need to do is decontaminate the outside of the test tube to ensure that the sample is safe to use. We attach great importance to ensuring the safety and accuracy of the entire diagnostic process, starting from sample collection.

If you would like to deploy the same Opentrons system in your own lab, please contact covid-19@opentrons.com.