Rapid Dx Laboratory has partnered with Concentric by Ginkgo to support America's K-12 schools by offering RT-PCR COVID-19 testing in Houston
Lab staff evaluating the results of COVID-19 RT-PCR test using Quant Studio 12K Flex. (Credit: RapidDx Laboratory, LLC.)
Rapid Dx Labs announced its partnership with Concentric by Ginkgo. Together, Rapid Dx Labs and Concentric by Ginkgo will provide pooled COVID testing to serve American schools operating in-person or hybrid environments.
In the past year full of uncertainty, Rapid Dx Labs has remained a constant the Houston community can rely on to deliver fast and accurate test results. This minority-owned CLIA certified high-complexity lab prides themselves in their 12 – 16-hour average result turnaround time as well as the ability to accommodate thousands of samples a day. With these resources, Rapid Dx has served not only private companies, but also long-term care facilities, underprivileged communities, as well as private schools and daycares to pave a return for normalcy.
As more and more schools work to support in-person learning environments, communities across the country have turned to routine COVID-19 testing to monitor the virus. Even as teachers and guardians become eligible for vaccines, clinical vaccine trials for individuals under 16 are just beginning, and efforts to track and mitigate viral spread remain critical.
Concentric by Ginkgo is the public health and biosecurity effort at Ginkgo Bioworks, the organism company, and its goal is to provide easy, affordable pooled testing to every school in America. Concentric currently runs testing in over 15 states, with over 800 schools signed up for testing. Pooled classroom testing, which combines swabs from all consenting individuals in a classroom and runs as a single test, can significantly increase testing capacity and lower the cost of testing for institutions.
“Rapid Dx Labs is incredibly honored to be partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks for such a historic effort,” say the Founding Board members. “We need to prioritize children and their education, and we need to be taking any step that would help ensure a swift return to learning in person for our next generation. We must educate and highlight the importance of the role their participation in pooled classroom testing plays for the betterment of our future. We have seen the dire effects of the pandemic reverberate across many sectors of the sociodemographic canvass. Our goal now is to revive the local community with the vast number of resources available at our laboratory.”
“Pooled testing is a powerful testing modality for schools looking to operate in-person or hybrid learning environments,” said Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks. “Having the ability to test every student, every week means that a community can, in a data-driven way, build confidence around the mitigation strategies they’re using to interrupt viral transmission.”
Rapid Dx Laboratory is a CLIA certified, high complexity molecular diagnostics laboratory based in Houston, Texas. Our technical team has more than 25 years of CLIA laboratory management experience, and the lab is equipped with cutting-edge technology to provide, among other services, emergency use authorized (EUA) COVID-19 and Flu/COVID-19 multiplex tests, as well as other genetic tests.
We offer the best-in-class turnaround time for result reporting along with partnership with Ovation – our LIMS – for clients to access results via a HIPAA compliant reporting portal. Our goal is to help medical professionals and patients make important health decisions through the delivery of fast and accurate testing services, maximizing the promptness of reporting while always safeguarding quality and accuracy.
Source: Company Press Release