16 June 20

Multiplying testing capacity: RT-PCR Pool Testing

Since the beginning of the crisis, ISCI and doctors from the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Chile have proposed the use of pooling techniques in the processing of PCR samples, that is, using a single PCR test for a group of people (5 or 10, or more). The main advantage of this technique is that it reduces both the number of scarce resources (PCR tests) and the delivery times of results, without affecting the sensitivity of the test.