1/n Our work describing the adaptation of the CDC RT-qPCR assay for use with alternative Qiagen RNA extraction kits, as well as skipping the RNA extraction step entirely is live on bioRxiv. Pls retweet. #coronavirus #COVID19 #StayAtHome biorxiv.org/content/10.110… 
2/n The current shortage of approved RNA extraction kits during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a severe bottleneck in testing capacity.
3/n In collaboration with colleagues at the University of Vermont Medical Center and the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (team effort!)
4/n We tested two alternative strategies: the use of alternative RNA extraction kits or a direct RT-qPCR assay that omits an RNA extraction step altogether
5/n We found that the Qiagen RNeasy Mini kit and the Qiagen RNeasy Micro kit could be substituted for the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini kit.
6/n Importantly, the RT-qPCR assay can be performed directly on patient sample material from a nasal swab, without the need for an RNA extraction step of any kind.
7/n It is important to note these findings are preliminary and based on a single pooled nasopharyngeal swab sample from two previously confirmed positive COVID-19 patients.
8/n Due to the urgent need for COVID-19 screening we have made these findings available immediately while we conduct replicate studies using additional patient samples.
9/n The Qiagen RNA extraction kit comparison data formed the basis of an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) submitted March 19 to the FDA
10/n Thank you to everyone involved! Questions and suggestions welcomed. Please retweet!!
11/n And here is the data comparing the current approved QIAamp Viral RNA Mini kit to the Qiagen RNeasy Micro and RNeasy Mini on previously confirmed patient sample. May help when looking for supplies, as academic labs can contribute reagents to the diagnostic effort!
And welcome to the thread, co-author Jessica Crothers, from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UVM College of Medicine and UVM Health Network @jwocro !!
And Debra Leonard, also from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UVM College of Medicine and UVM Health Network @DrDebraLeonard !
