Expansion of diagnostics and sequencing capacity

An essential part of the control and clinical management of the spreading COVID19 epidemic is a reliable diagnostics with sufficient capacity for the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. BNITM reacted very early to the events in China and was one of the first laboratories in Hamburg to establish the corresponding molecular diagnostics. In the meantime, together with our cooperation partner, the company altona Diagnostics, a ready-made real-time PCR kit has been developed, which allows the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA with high sensitivity. In order to equip the diagnostic laboratory of the BNITM for the expected large sample volumes and to perform further virus analyses, the diagnostic and sequencing capacity at the BNITM was expanded accordingly (with support from the German Federal Ministry of Health).

Project coordination: Prof. Jürgen May