Production of "in house" versions of reverse transcriptase and Taq DNA polymerase for use in SARS-CoV-2 assays
Extensive efforts, both nationally and internationally, are ongoing to ramp up the capacity for detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as this is perceived to be central in the management of societal activity through the pandemic. The limited throughput capacity is in part caused by supply shortages along the predominant testing strategies. It also seems strategically sound to rethink the options for large-scale testing. In this project, we will generate large amounts of the critical enzymes, the DNA polymerase and the reverse transcriptase, for use towards the predominant testing schemes today. Along with this, we aim to undertake optimization and benchmarking work for these assays, also based on emerging knowledge of the sequence diversity of the virus.
Project leader: