b'What are some smart ways that laboratories can useYet, we know that this pandemic is so unpredictable. One minute built-up capacity for SARS-CoV-2 testing after thewe have low case counts and think we can move on to other pandemic recedes? things. And then, boom, another wave. For now, were certainly At the beginning of the pandemic, when we were all lookingnot getting rid of any of these instruments.for platforms for testing, I had in the back of my mind, What are we going to do once we dont need all of these? Well, withHow did the experience with molecular testing during continuing waves of the virus, we still need all these instrumentsthe pandemic change the way laboratories are thinking right now. But its still the case that well have all this newabout automation?capacity for molecular testing. The question is: what else canI think this also goes back to the question of, now that we have you do? all these platforms, what are laboratories going to do with them? We hadnt planned to automate as much in microbiology, where Perhaps now there is more incentive for manufacturers towe had only a few assays that ran on some of the automated develop IVD assays that labs can use on these platforms. Itsplatforms. We performed a lot of laboratory-developed tests that something that will take time to move through the FDA process.had been very manual.Meanwhile, for laboratories that have acquired these platforms, developing tests in-house that traditionally they were sending outWith the pandemic, that became such a challenge, because we to reference laboratories is one option. didnt have the front-end automationbeyond just automating the extraction and PCRthat was much more common in the clinical Laboratories are all different. They are going to have to bechemistry laboratory. It introduced a new element for us when we creative to make sure this instrumentation is still beneficialthink about molecular testing and automation.and properly used. I think its positive that this opens up new discussions about bringing new tests to hospitals in-house laboratories, as well as laboratories themselves becoming more molecular-focused.11 Molecular testing thermofisher.com/infectiousdisease Contents'