Title

Validation of a Lysis Buffer Containing 4 M Guanidinium Thiocyanate (GITC)/ Triton X-100 for Extraction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for COVID-19 Testing: Comparison of Formulated Lysis Buffers Containing 4 to 6 M GITC, Roche External Lysis Buffer and Qiagen RTL Lysis Buffer

Authors

Martina F. Scallan, School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, IrelandFollow
Catherine Dempsey, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, CorkFollow
John McSharry, School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland; School of Medicine, UCC; APC Microbiome Ireland, UCC
Isabelle O'Callaghan, Department of Clincial Microbiology, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork
Paula M. O'Connor, APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork
Conor P. Horgan, Eli Lilly Kinsale Ltd, Kinsale, Co. Cork
Edel Durack, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick
Paul D. Cotter, APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork
Sarah Hudson, Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Limerick
Humphrey A. Moynihan, Eli Lilly Kinsale Ltd, Kinsale, Co. Cork
Brigid Lucey, Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology; Academy of Clinical Science & Laboratory Medicine, Old Kilmainham, Dublin 8. IrelandFollow

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0872-202X

Document Type

Preprint

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Disciplines

Biology | Chemicals and Drugs | Diseases | Medicine and Health Sciences | Microbiology | Virus Diseases

Publication Details

This is a pre-print article. It has not gone through the peer-review process and is being made available with urgency to help combat the global COVID-19 Crisis.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased need for diagnostic testing using reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-PCR). An exponential increase in demand has resulted in a shortage of numerous reagents in particular those associated with the lysis buffer required to extract the viral RNA. Herein, we describe a rapid collective effort by hospital laboratory scientists, academic researchers and the biopharma industry to generate a validated lysis buffer. We have formulated a 4M Guanidinium thiocyanate (GITC)/ Triton X-100 Lysis buffer which provides comparable results with the recommended reagents. This buffer will ease the burden on hospital labs in their heroic efforts diagnose a large population of patients.

Recommended Citation

Scallan, M.F. et al., 2020. Validation of a Lysis Buffer Containing 4 M Guanidinium Thiocyanate (GITC)/ Triton X-100 for Extraction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for COVID-19 Testing: Comparison of Formulated Lysis Buffers Containing 4 to 6 M GITC, Roche External Lysis Buffer and Qiagen RTL Lysis Buffer. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.05.026435.