PerkinElmer, Inc., a provider of solutions to serve the diagnostics, life sciences, food, and applied markets, has announced its collaboration with the Mount Sinai Health System to increase accessibility of COVID-19 Tests in NYC. The laboratory system located at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital campus now has the capacity to process 25,000 (and ultimately up to 100,000) tests per day with PerkinElmer’s instrument and reagents.
RT-PCR testing is the most accurate method for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The relationship forged between Mount Sinai Health System and PerkinElmer makes gold standard RT-PCR based COVID-19 tests in NYC available to schools and businesses throughout the city.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) companion resource, a highly sensitive RT-PCR test should be used for screening asymptomatic individuals. The PerkinElmer New Coronavirus Nucleic Acid Detection Kit, a COVID-19 molecular diagnostic test authorized for emergency use, is ideally suited to support screening programs, according to the company.
“Mount Sinai has shown extraordinary commitment and leadership in scientific and clinical efforts to beat this pandemic. We developed one of the first highly sensitive antibody tests, pioneered innovative therapies to treat COVID-19, and are researching the lingering effects suffered by ‘long-haulers.’ The Mount Sinai COVID Lab and testing program is designed to help our community in slowing transmission and getting us back to normal,” says David L. Reich, MD, president and CEO, The Mount Sinai Hospital. “We are proud to partner with PerkinElmer in expanding our testing capacity and footprint to serve our communities.”
As the Delta variant is threatening to upend another school year, RT-PCR testing remains the preferred method for COVID-19 diagnostics. PerkinElmer’s comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 portfolio includes high throughput RNA extraction, RT-PCR, antigen testing, workflow automation, ELISA, chemiluminescence, time-resolved fluorescence and lateral flow based serology testing.
“PerkinElmer is proud to lend its expertise in SARS-CoV-2 testing by supplying and supporting the Mount Sinai Health System with reagents, automation equipment and consumables that are critical to meet laboratory operational needs,” says Arvind Kothandaraman, managing director, specialty diagnostics at PerkinElmer. “We are humbled and inspired by the work of our long-standing collaborators at Mount Sinai, who go above and beyond to help underserved communities in New York City that have been profoundly affected by the pandemic.”
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region.
