Widespread accurate testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19, is one critical aspect needed to limit the spread of the disease. By creating the Covid-19 Testing Industry Consortium, 19 organizations from the healthcare industry have joined forces with a goal to help inform, improve, innovate, and accelerate various aspects of testing, ranging from research to clinical diagnostic applications.
The consortium brings together a diverse group of companies with synergistic areas of expertise, including precision medicine, diagnostics, occupational health, pharmaceuticals and clinical testing laboratories, to help provide clarity and potential solutions to COVID-19 testing challenges. To advance the goals of the consortium, members may:
- Share relevant expertise, materials and experiences to accelerate understanding of covid-19.
- Analyze available scientific and health data, materials and information to develop, improve and deploy current assays and new approaches for the covid-19 testing paradigm.
- Contribute knowledge gained from the collaborative research by publishing work that will inform the scientific community and general public of the consortium’s findings.
The consortium was organized and is led by Bristol Myers Squibb. Consortium members include:
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
- ArcherDx
- Biocartis
- Color
- Diaceutics
- DxTerity Diagnostics
- Genosity
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Hematogenix Laboratory Services
- Infinity BiologiX
- Interpace Pharma Solutions
- Janssen Pharmaceuticals
- Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings
- NeoGenomics Laboratories
- Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research
- Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
- Syngene International
- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”)
“In the three decades devoted to clinical diagnostics, I have been continually amazed that both the complexity and underlying value of testing is been markedly underappreciated. While the unprecedented challenges of the SARS-Covid-2 pandemic have focused a spotlight on the value, there remains a tendency to oversimplify testing. The Covid-19 Testing Consortium has brought together industry expertise to take on the challenge of addressing the details and intricacies that must be resolved if we are to find a holistic solution to both save lives, limit harm and bring life to some semblance of normalcy,” says Marc Grodman MD, CEO of Genosity Inc. and former Chair of the American Clinical Laboratory Association. “We are proud to be part of a group with the collective knowledge and commitment to make a difference in this time of uncertainty and commend Bristol Myers Squib for their leadership in this effort.”
