How a COVID-19 test is processed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Update June 12, 2023: COVID-19 is still with us, but the once-urgent need for PCR testing has subsided and can be addressed by other providers focused on diagnostics. So the Broad Institute is winding down its COVID-19 diagnostic testing program, with June 30, 2023 as the last day of operations. The Broad continues to conduct research and develop technologies to better understand, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases.

 

Since the early days of the pandemic, the Broad Institute has run a large COVID-19 diagnostic center, a uniquely large and automated facility that can process up to 140,000 tests per day. Take a look at how a sample is processed from start to finish, and learn how the results can support public health and help monitor for new viral variants.