Future Science Group

In Part 3 of our COVID-19 diagnostics and detection miniseries, supported by Roche, we explore the contribution PCR has made towards diagnosis during the pandemic. Providing me with an insight into the world of PCR diagnostics is Tyler Miller, Clinical Pathology Resident and Research Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was instrumental in setting up the testing regimen for the Hospital. Ty details the attributes of PCR that lead to it becoming the gold standard for diagnostic tests, before explaining the variance in clinical detection rate during a patient's disease course and how this variation correlates with the infectivity of the patient. Ty also delves into the variety of sample collection methods available, how each of these methods compares in terms of sensitivity and their ability to be integrated into exciting novel PCR techniques. We also look at the work of the Broad Institute in establishing a mass testing effort that involved automation, workflow optimization and hundreds of new