As of May 11, QPS, a global contract research organization (CRO) that provides GLP-compliant discovery, preclinical, and clinical drug development services, has the capability to conduct COVID-19 testing.
 
QPS has developed and validated a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) assay to identify active novel coronavirus infections (COVID-19). The assay is registered as a CLIA-certified assay in all US states requiring COVID-19 testing notifications. After an initial ramp-up, the laboratory has a projected run-rate of up to 15,000 samples per month.  
 
“As this novel coronavirus continues to affect communities around the world, there is an increasingly urgent demand for available, accurate testing services, that can be used to screen populations and get people back to work safely,” said John Kolman, VP and global head, translational medicine at QPS.  
 
“QPS is well prepared to analyze samples that are either known to be contaminated, or could be contaminated, with the novel coronavirus. Initially, we will do this at the access-restricted bioanalysis lab on our campus in Newark, Delaware, and we will transfer this capability to our other global laboratories as quickly as possible. QPS is now ready to process COVID-19 samples and deliver prompt results to help local and state authorities, or local companies, evaluate their populations to identify COVID-19 infections,” added Kolman.