On March 26, 2020, the CCPM Biobank Laboratory launched a clinical diagnostic test for COVID-19. This test, in combination with other validated clinical tests on the Anschutz Medical Campus, is used by healthcare providers to determine what treatment patients should receive and whether isolation and quarantine are required.

As a high-volume CLIA-certified laboratory, the CCPM Biobank was uniquely positioned to quickly respond to the increasing demand for COVID-19 testing. Although it commonly takes months to validate a clinical laboratory test, Laboratory Director Kristy Crooks, Ph.D., and Stephen Wicks, PhD. worked together with colleagues from the University of Colorado Hospital Clinical Laboratory to validate the test in just 7 days.

The Biobank laboratory’s instruments and procedures were designed to process large numbers of patient samples. The Biobank is able to test up to 1200 samples per day, contributing to the campus-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this type of testing is able to accept a number of different sample types. 

So far, the Biobank lab has tested over 1400 samples, all while practicing social distancing!