Member Info for tomvisual

Did velo mention codx??

Major privacy issues, under way:
UK government using confidential patient data in coronavirus response
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/12/uk-government-using-confidential-patient-data-in-coronavirus-response
One quote from the article that raises a few questions:
Faculty’s proposed simulation of a policy described as “targeted herd immunity” was part of an NHSX and Faculty planning document considered around 23 March, more than a week after ministers insisted the controversial policy was no longer being contemplated.
Need to have Parliament back and holding the government to account.

Acuere, this was posted earlier on this board
https://mobile.twitter.com/GMF782/status/1241031678484721665?s=20

Thinking of the Harvard requirement for 100M tests per day ...
Huge amounts of testing!
Prof Peto (see my earlirt posts) was talking about testing the entire UK population every week, which is about 10 million tests per day; the US has roughly 5 times the population, so 50 million tests per day is understandable and not so far from the 100 million tests per day.
Joining the dots, Harvard requirement may fit in with Prof Peto report!
Interesting ... test, test, test
gla

IntrepidInvestor, recall Thermo Fisher bought out Qiagen in March 2020 for $11.1B.
Are TF using the Qiagen assay FDA EUA 30/3/20) or the Thermo Fisher assay (FDA EUA 12/3/30)? This is important information.
Also note neither the Qiagen or the Thermo Fisher assay are WHO approved.
Roche market cap went up $20B on FDA EUA announcement!
What price could NCYT now be worth to pharmas?
Forget the short term, I am thinking the longer term. Look how Shire Pharmaceuticals and ASOS developed from being penny shares!!

Bill Gates in Telegraph calling for Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations – or CEPI to be given $2B funding to continue work on vaccine for covid19.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/masks-tests-treatments-vaccines-need-global-approach-fighting/
"This funding is just to develop the vaccine – and not to manufacture or deliver it. That will require even more money and planning. This is the third task the G20 should start thinking about.
For one thing, we aren’t sure which vaccines will be the most effective yet, and each requires unique technology to make. That means nations need to invest in many different kinds of manufacturing facilities now, knowing that some will never be used. Otherwise, we’ll waste months after the lab develops an immunisation, waiting for the right manufacturer to scale up."

QD18 wonder if the test that S Korea were using does not have 100% conformance with negative test cases?
The WHO should have taken the lead on which covid19 tests to use after stringent verification.Where several tests passed acceptance then these should have been licensed. For me, everyone seems to have been reinventing the wheel.
The fact that the UK took the position it did on antibody tests speaks volumes for the approach that the uk is following wrt test accuracy and validation.
I must admit I have concern with the FDA EUA process. Moreover, as governmens invariably use fda approval as a proxy for quality.
Clarification wrt test assessment was the main thrust of the PCR questions we were asking Peston from this board.
Whitty was correct the 'one thing worse than no test is a bad test' - incorrect results could lead to people in any population unknowingly spreading the virus. The mathematical growth from these individuals is well documented....
Now that WHO has two approved tests, I hope that all governments use the WHO recommended tests to help eradicate the virus.
The fact that the UK will now create a UK Diagnostic Capability ensures we may be ready for a future pandemic. PrimerDesign are central to this.
Time will tell, time will tell. How true this addage will be ...

Several pharmacists on this bb.
Any experience with LAMP - a nucleic acid amplification method?

QD18 thanks for this information.
4mins?
Researching on LAMP, I conclude that an an accurate 100% conformance to positive test cases LAMP test could be used as a POC (point of contact) test.
POC was the aim of the antibody test!
No need for an antibody test with the LAMP test! Now thats interesting...
4 mins - I assume due to test optimisation resulting in a reduced TRR (time to result).
Lets see if NCYT have a statement to release post PHE assessment of LAMP highlighting their involvement in this new test.
Its all positive for me.

Daily Mail reporting tests on an unimaginable scale required in US. Call for 10+-100M tests/day
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8209125/The-terrifying-reports-lockdown-ends-NO-return-normal.html
Demand massive in US...

I wonder if Trump with his America First philosophy may be asking TF a few questions....
Unfortunately, news is very bad for the US in terms of cases and deaths.
Lots of reports around shortages of tests and reagents and under utilisation of test labs. All makes for a bad outcome. With demand so great there are no winners only losers ...Sobering..

My understanding was that the Mega Labs were to provide the 100k tests/day using the Thermo Fisher/ Qiagen test. From my notes:
Thermo Fisher CEO of Thermo Fisher on R4 Today around 7:09 (9/4/20).
TF can supply 100k tests/day.
Tests, reagents, instruments supplied.
26 sites, 5000 employees.
Supply beyond April done locally in the UK
Boots, Amazon logistics will send test to 10 centralised test centres then from here to one of 3 big hubs for assessment.
TF looking at an antibody test, but focus on PCR swab tests.
3 big hubs = 3 "mega labs"

Note eatlier comment about Qiagen test.
See post Qiagen, 10 Apr 2020 20:46

Wilson, for Optigene press release the new LAMP test is proving to be as sensitive as the PCR ‘gold-standard’.
Optigene stated) “We were in a fortunate position to be able to link with a local company in Chandlers Ford, PrimerDesign, who partnered with us to provide the testing kits needed and we are very delighted that we could join forces to make this a reality so quickly."
If the LAMP technology is of interest to PHE / Govt, or any other foreign health authorities,then to supply an Assay, Optigene will be turning to Primerdesign who provided the original assay. So success that is evident with the qPCR assay is possibly repeatable with LAMP test. Moreover, as my comment was that UCL could not achieve 100% conformance to positive test cases, then perhaps a degree of specialisation is required. PrimerDesign have this in spades. A fact that did not go unnoticed when the AZN CEO was on R4 Today (8/4/20) around 7:32.
See additional info by poster b2hs2l.
PHE assessment of LAMP must be imminent. Does this mitigate the need for an antibody test? Time will tell.

Researching, came across this on LAMP.
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/scientists-identify-rapid-covid-19-testing-method
Scientists identify COVID-19 testing method that delivers accurate result within 25 minutes.
Led by Dr Claire Steves from King’s College London, the team piloted the test in a London NHS care home experiencing an outbreak, comparing it to standard tests using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). They found LAMP nasal swab testing was fast, easy to use and worked on a par to these currently used methods. It accurately identified 80% of cases detected by standard methods and identified a further three positive cases. Eight further cases were negative using both methods.
What is interesting is that the Optigene/PrimerDesign LAMP assessment showed 100% conformance to positive test cases providing ringing endorsement of 100% accuracy
https://www.ibms.org/resources/documents/covid-19-sars-2-diagnostics-at-hampshire-hospitals-nhs/20200309-hhft-covid19-diagnostics-v2.pdf
This could mean several things:
1.Maybe the problem is with the UCL LAMP test?
2.Like PCR test development there is experience and expertise required with the test and the assay, which Optigene and PrimerDesign have mastered in a similar manner that PrimerDesign have developed the gold standard for the PCR test
Remember,  PrimerDesign's founder is one of the main people on the planet, for PrimerDesign, not just in the UK!!

Channel 4 interview with Dr Stephen Kidd and Dr Veronica Fowler.
1:15 is the current test time bench mark.
Towards end of interview Dr Fowler is asked about false negatives... she's absolutely no concerns as their test has been compared against the "gold standard" which is NCYT.
Elevated temp, 65C gives result in 20-mins.
https://youtu.be/PpZBke4j67k

Interesting ...
FatherTed1 did your mc model include potential growth from the LAMP test? Or is a further update to the mc required??
gla

The Thermo Fisher CEO was on R4 Today around 7:09 (9/4/20). My notes state:
TF can supply 100k tests/day.
Tests, reagents, instruments supplied.
26 sites, 5000 employees.
Supply beyond April done locally in the UK
Boots, Amazon logistics will send test to 10 centralised test centres then from here to one of 3 big hubs for assessment.
TF looking at an antibody test, but focus is on PCR swab tests.
So this implied TF had everything in hand to support the UK tests. With initial product sourced from US and subsequent product (April onwards from UK).
If the FDA document implies that the Qiagen swab can be used with NCYT assay, I wonder if TF are therefore using the NCYT test for the 100k tests/day in the PHE centralised test centres?
or with Trump demanding 750k tests/day and CDC wanting 3M+ tests/day even in the US...
Looks like shortages warrant use of NCYT product.
I think FatherTed1's mc calculation may needs a update!!

greggreen good info.

I think that the FDA document is saying that the Qiagen swab can be used with the PD PCR Assay.
There seems to be a shortage of Qiagen kits and the paper is talking about:
1) alternative RNA extraction to Qiagen.
2) Missing out the RNA extraction step, which sounds like doing the PCR on the nasal mucus.
3) The Oaklahoma report shows not enough Qiagen kits and reagents.

Researching, I also came across this info:Qiagen
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.20.001008v1
shortages of RNA extraction kits have been a major testing bottleneck....
New technique, DIRECT RT-qPCR that skips a step and appears over 90% as accurate as conventional RT-qPCR for #Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 detection..
90% accuracy.... oh dear .. 90% conformance to positive test cases and NCYT has 100% homology.
Looks to me like there could well be people wanting to use the PrimerDesign with Qiagen kits.
This now bodes the question, what Thermo Fisher tests are being used in the UK? Is DIRECT RT-qPCR or conventional RT-qPCR being proposed in the UK???
VanV 100% homology looks like our golden goose.

Cheers VanV.
I wonder if Optigene have info for PrimerDesign next week ....Any thoughts when news from PHE assessment on LAMP is likely to occur?

Has anyone done any research into the Optigene/PrimerDesign LAMP test?
Queries for research:
* Does their test rely on using one of their machines?
* If the test does rely on using one of Optigene's or PrimerDesign machines, how many can they produce?
* How many tests /day can they manufacture?

Simple00:
See https://mobile.twitter.com/GMF782/status/1241031678484721665?s=20

Is Paris open on Monday???