In an innovative example of how faculty are using COVID-19 as a learning experience, CLSI education partner, the Bay Area Bioscience Education Community (BABEC), developed two innovative simulation COVID-19 test kits, which students can perform from home:
- In one test, students use a lateral flow or paper strip as a mock rapid test for the COVID-19 antigen. This is the example game-changer test that can be administered quickly for quick results (<15min.) Students will examine three different samples and determine if the samples are positive, negative, or inconclusive.
- In another test, students perform an ELISA simulation to examine the presence and quantity of COVID-19 antibodies. The purpose is to identify whether those who have been infected and survived have a high enough titre of antibody so their plasma can be used for convalescent plasma therapy. Using a cell-phone app that detects changes in intensity of color as their “spectrophotometer”, students will perform a standard curve and examine two patient unknown titres to see which has the highest titre when compared with the standards, transferring their recordings to excel to plot.
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