Visit the new coronavirus nucleic acid testing lab: technology to make the virus nowhere to hide

Medicine Network May 27residents completed sampling, swabs are loaded into a temperature-constant specimen transfer box of 4 degrees C - 8 degrees C, transferred to the nucleic acid testing laboratoryDetectors can detect infections in individuals with nanoscale accuracy through gene amplification technologyOn May 25, Changjiang Daily reporter visited three new coronavirus nucleic acid testing laboratories in Wuhan to explore the follow-up testing process for readersBefore entering the PCR laboratory in Wuchang, Wuhan, Changjiang Daily reporters put on protective equipment and entered the laboratory from the buffer zone from the clean zone"The PCR laboratory is also known as the Gene Amplification Laboratory, and PCR technology is a molecular biology technique used to amplify specific DNA or RNA fragments that can be considered as special DNA replication outside of organisms," said Zeng Shulin, deputy director of the laboratory's laboratoryBy copying the RNA of the new coronavirus, a certain number can be detected"
reporter saw that the PCR laboratory for Wuhan City, the first batch of the Ministry of Health acceptance of the gene amplification laboratory, strictly in accordance with the three districts two channels set up, three areas are reagent preparation area, sample processing area, amplification and amplification of the production of the analysis area; Zeng said that the purpose of setting up "three zones and two channels" is to prevent contamination in the laboratory, so that the detection process is safer and standardizedIn the sample processing area, two inspectors are numbering one sample collection tube after anotherSeveral instruments around them are running at high speedZeng Lin, medical staff for residents to sample, the sample of the swabs will be placed in the sample collection tube, the collection tube has a liquid, that is, virus preservation liquidinspectors take 200 microliters of samples from each tube, place them in the nucleic acid extraction kit, and then place the kit in an automatic or semi-automatic nucleic acid extractor, from which the instrument can extract the new coronavirus nucleic acidhalf an hour after, the tester then removed the kit from the nucleic acid extractor and added 5 microliters of extracted nucleic acid storted the nucleic acid The amplification instrument allows the new coronavirus nucleic acid to be copied in vitro to reach a measurable value, a process that takes about 2 hours "This set of gene amplification system can accurately detect whether there is a new coronavirus in an individual, as well as the number of viruses present, whether replication, etc Zeng said Wuhan concentrated nucleic acid testing started, 63 testing institutions in our city open full horsepower, personnel "three shifts", the instrument is 24 hours non-stop operation The daily testing volume at Wuchang Hospital increased from 3,000 to 10,000 " How to ensure the accuracy of our sample testing? "The accuracy of nucleic acid testing is of the utmost concern to all residents Zenglin said: "Testing follows a strictly regulated process, such as testing personnel to take samples are carried out in a biosecurity cabinet, the cabinet to maintain a negative pressure state, both to protect staff, but also to avoid contamination of the sample." The laboratory set up three-zone separation, but also to avoid the presence of aerosols in the air to cause false positive son- "
accuracy also depends on the scrutiny of each inspector Wu Di, the technician in charge of sampling, said, "Sampling is a fine work, can not be urgent, the number of the sample to be injected into the corresponding reagent hole, the sample extraction should be accurate to reach 200 microliters, otherwise to re-sample." "
is an independent third-party medical laboratory located in The Wuhan Mingzhi Medical Laboratory in Donghu High-tech District In the sample processing room, the reporter saw the inactivated sample collection tube was sent to the biosecurity cabinet, before the staff opened to avoid causing cross-infection Wang Ying, head of the laboratory, said: "Although there is an inactivated virus in the collection tube, we will still transport samples at a high temperature of 56 degrees C inactivation for 45 minutes to ensure that the test is safe and accurate." "
on the laboratory's work record, a sample was repeatedly tested "For every suspected positive or positive sample, we will test multiple times to avoid false positives, " Says Wang "
and "Mingzhi" adjacent to the Wuhan Chengqi Medical Laboratory, is also our city designated nucleic acid testing institutions "Cheng Qi" director Wang Xin said: "We ensure that every sample to the laboratory, timely detection, no backlog, no delay." RNA virus nucleic acid is easy to degrade, only to do as soon as possible detection, will not be due to nucleic acid degradation caused by errors "
reporterfound that the samples tested will also be stored in a special cold storage or refrigerator for a period of time for review Other testwaste, the laboratory will take 121 degrees C high temperature inactivation 45 minutes, stored in a special staging room, and then by a professional medical garbage collection agencies to dispose of, to ensure that the environment is not polluted.