CapitalBio Technology, a subsidiary of CapitalBio under Tsinghua Holdings, has offered cabin laboratories where hospitals and disease control departments can provide one-stop solutions for nucleic acid detection and improve their COVID-19 nucleic acid detection capabilities.

The cabin laboratories have already been put into use in hospitals in Beijing and Dalian.

This cabin laboratory for COVID-19 detection is used in Dalian Central Hospital, Liaoning Province

Dalian is currently carrying out large-scale coronavirus screening, and its daily test sampling volume is rising rapidly. As of July 28, the city had completed over 3.5 million samples to contain the spread.

To speed up the testing, Dalian Central Hospital introduced an 81-square-meter cabin laboratory equipped with two biological safety cabinets and four PCR machines. It took only three days to complete all the preparation work, including transportation, installation, and acceptance checks. The cabin laboratory can test 4,000 individual samples daily or conduct mixed tests of 20,000 samples.

The cabin laboratory at Beijing Chuiyangliu Hospital

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Beijing Chuiyangliu Hospital served as a designated hospital in Chaoyang District. To improve its nucleic acid detection capabilities, it established a 90-square-meter cabin laboratory, including two double biological safety cabinets, six PCR machines (reserving space for 10 PCR instruments), and a microfluidic detection platform that can conduct a variety of tests, including novel coronavirus and many others pathogens. The cabin can help test up to 10,000 individuals daily and up to 50,000 for mixed testing.

The cabin laboratory is composed of fixed modules to meet the needs of testing pathogenic microorganisms and performing PCR detection. It includes a reagent preparation area, a sample processing area, and a nucleic acid amplification area, as well as various professional instruments. The cabin also provides personal protective equipment such as protective clothing and N95 masks which meets third-level biological safety protection standards.

Interior of a cabin laboratory

In addition, the cabin laboratory is built in strict accordance with second-level biological safety standards and is equipped with a full set of P2+ bio-safety protection facilities, such as fresh air units, fire protection facilities,an internal monitoring system, a sewage treatment system, a UV system, and an information system. It also has a decontamination room and can treat medical waste directly and properly. 

Staff conducts testing in the cabin laboratory

So far, the CapitalBio Technology’s cabin laboratory has been used in Beijing, Dalian, Changsha, Chongqing, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.