Fostering SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and research capacity at the Public Health Laboratory in the School of Sciences of the University of La Plata

Abstract

After the first COVID-19 case was reported in China in December 2019, leading to a sanitary crisis and later expanded to a pandemic, Public Health Systems were forced to adapt their facilities and capabilities to face, among other actions, the need for massive diagnostics, surveillance, monitoring immune response and assess protection post-infection and, eventually, after vaccination. In this scenario, many researchers, professionals, recent graduates and students at the School of Sciences (Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata) assembled a multisdiciplinary team called “Grupo COVID Exactas”. This group helped to set up a facility to perform routine RT-qPCR-based detection of viral RNA in clinical samples at the Laboratory of Public Health of the Secretary of Extension of the Faculty (Secretaría de Extensión de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata).
To cope with the shortage of reagents worldwide and to simplify RNA isolation, a silica-coated magnetic bead-based system was developed locally to avoid centrifugation steps. At the same time, the serology group initiated specific IgG screening tests, and the research team addressed the development of immunoassays to detect SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG/IgM/IgA. Also, urine infrared and fluorescence spectra are being explored for their potential to find differential patterns associated with the disease. The seriousness of the public health problem led the signature of a cooperation agreement between the UNLP and the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires (Ministerio de Salud de la Provincia de Buenos Aires) to update the laboratory setups, to coordinate distribution of clinical samples and laboratory and to provide with PPE supplies. It also includes the design and implementation of screening and surveillance strategies addressing issues associated with pandemics. In addition, the interest of the Government of the PBA in the specific local development of technologies and reagents at the University is the focus of another recently signed tripartite agreement that includes R&D institutes of the UNLP also associated with CONICET (Argentinean National Research Council).