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PerkinElmer collaborates with Sonora Quest Laboratories to expand COVID-19 testing in Arizona

PerkinElmer

The strategic partnership aims to catapult COVID-19 diagnostic testing capacity well ahead of the significant demand

9 Jul 2020
Diane Li
Assistant Editor

Industry news

Governor Doug Ducey has announced a strategic collaboration with Sonora Quest Laboratories, the market share leader in diagnostics laboratory testing in Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services and PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, to expand testing in Arizona. The collaboration helps catapult COVID-19 diagnostic testing capacity well ahead of the significant demand in Arizona.

Sonora Quest expects to process 35,000 diagnostic tests per day by the end of July, and up to 60,000 tests per day by the end of August. The dedicated project teams at Sonora Quest will be working 24 hours a day to install, validate and deploy the new production lines, which will include chemagic™ 360 instruments, JANUS® G3 Primary Sample Reformatters and PCR+ Workstations, to automate PerkinElmer’s RNA extraction and RT-PCR testing. The breadth of PerkinElmer’s total workflow solutions enables Sonora Quest to rapidly process samples at high volumes, ultimately helping decrease turnaround time in testing.

“This partnership will enable Arizona to continue rapidly expanding testing across the state, helping ensure all Arizonans have access to affordable, available testing with speedy turnaround of results,” said Governor Ducey. “I’m grateful to Sonora Quest Laboratories, Euroimmun/PerkinElmer and the Arizona Department of Health Services for their innovative solutions to help protect the health and safety of Arizonans."

“The goal is to have test results available within 24 hours for anyone tested,” said David A. Dexter, President & CEO, Sonora Quest Laboratories. “I wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Dr. Cara Christ, Director of ADHS, and PerkinElmer for supporting Sonora Quest. Together, we are going to make a significant difference in the Arizona health care community to provide ample testing throughout this pandemic.”

Through this partnership, the State of Arizona and Arizona Department of Health Services is providing Sonora Quest Laboratories $1 million for the purchase of new processing equipment.

“Despite the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the United States and some testing locations experiencing capacity shortfalls, PerkinElmer has complete SARS-CoV-2 testing solutions available and ready for delivery. We are teaming with Sonora Quest to meet their increased testing volume requirements and will continue to build capacity to support broad-based testing globally,” said Masoud Toloue., Ph.D., Vice President & General Manager, Diagnostics, PerkinElmer. “We will begin live streaming our turnaround time for delivery of SARS-CoV-2 tests to increase transparency, allow testing centers to maintain maximum capacity, and enable labs to rapidly respond to evolving public health needs.”

These efforts build on previous actions to expand testing for all Arizonans, including the most vulnerable and underserved populations. Sonora Quest’s priority remains the health and safety of all the patients and communities they serve.

“We are excited to partner with Sonora Quest to expand COVID-19 testing in Arizona,” said Dr. Cara Christ, ADHS director. “Since the start of the pandemic, ADHS has worked with Sonora Quest and several other private laboratories across Arizona to increase access to testing and laboratory capacity. We will continue to work with all of our lab partners to find ways to make testing more available to everyone in our state.”

Patients suspected of having or confirmed to have active COVID-19 infection or disease should not visit a Sonora Quest Patient Service Center. Sonora Quest Patient Service Centers do not collect active COVID-19 specimens. Patients who believe they may have active COVID-19 are strongly encouraged to contact their health care provider or locate an Arizona Testing Blitz site for testing at https://www.azdhs.gov/testingblitz.

The collaboration between Sonora Quest and PerkinElmer is an expansion of its existing relationship, in which EUROIMMUN, a PerkinElmer company, provides tests to support Sonora Quest’s antibody testing.

For more information about the COVID-19 testing service, visit www.SonoraQuest.com/coronavirus.

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