LabCorp announced that it has received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an RNA extraction method that uses heat and technology rather than reagents as part of the testing process for SARS-CoV-2, according to a press release.
LabCorp said the heat-extraction method will allow it to improve the speed and efficiency of RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 and reduce its reliance on testing supplies. The method traps viral particles using heat to concentrate viral nucleic acid, eliminating the need for RNA extraction reagents.
The company also announced that it received an FDA EUA for the use of matrixed pooling on samples collected outside a healthcare setting via its Pixel by LabCorp and LabCorp At Home COVID-19 test collection kits. The matrixed pooling authorization for at-home collection is an extension of the FDA EUA issued on July 24, which allows LabCorp to test larger groups of samples at one time on samples collected by a healthcare professional.
