Reverse transcription and PCR: Time for a paradigm shift, with Prof Stephen Bustin

Join ARU's Medical Technology Research Centre (MTRC) for an online seminar from Prof Stephen Bustin on how we can speed up the PCR testing process.

COVID-19 has provided a comprehensive demonstration of the central role played by molecular diagnostic testing in disease outbreak monitoring and control. A complete testing procedure involves a pre-analysis multistep sample collection, transportation storage and extraction process followed by analysis through reverse transcription, amplification and detection.

There are significant drawbacks associated with the current pre-analysis workflow, which uses invasive sampling and may result in variable amounts of extracted viral RNA. Reverse transcription and amplification generally involve protocols that are 30 years old and results in assays taking longer than necessary to complete. We propose streamlining the preanalysis workflow into a single extraction enrichment and RT step followed by extreme PCR to complete a test in less than five minutes.

Contact MTRC@aru.ac.uk for more information and to book.