Molecular Controls for SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A/B Testing in Microchip-based RT-PCR Test Systems

Seasonal respiratory viral pathogens can often be challenging to distinguish from one another symptomatically. For accurate and early detection of these viruses, extremely sensitive molecular detection methods like real-time PCR demand availability and inclusion of standard RNA positive controls in the test system.

• Here we describe a robust, sensitive, accurate, and cost-effective microchipbased Influenza A, Influenza B, and SARS-CoV-2 rapid detection system that utilized Armored RNA Quant^®* controls (Asuragen, a Bio-Techne Brand, TX) to achieve these objectives.
• These molecular controls were also used for quality control checks of ready-to-use microchips with pre-loaded and lyophilized reagents, as positive extraction controls, and for determining technical limit of detection (LoD).