Current Projects
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COVID-19 innovative testing program
The COVID-19 innovative testing program aims to improve testing technology for SARS-CoV-2. Examples include the post-market validation of point-of-care diagnostic kits (approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration), one-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with no extraction of RNA required, enhancing throughput pooling, and the role of serology in clinical management.
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Development of COVID-19 QUIK-pass
COVID-19 causes respiratory illness with most cases reporting mild symptoms similar to the common cold or flu. A proportion of people, especially older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions develop severe pneumonia. Surprisingly, for unknown reasons, younger people appear to be more protected, which is similar to a trend observed during the 2003 SARS epidemic.
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Genomics for epidemiological investigation
A dedicated SARS-CoV-2 multidisciplinary genomics response team from the Doherty Institute and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has been formed to conduct whole-genome sequencing and link this genomic data with epidemiological data of Victoria’s COVID-19 cases to identify and investigate new or emerging SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and transmission to inform public health action and response.
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Post-market validation of point-of-care diagnostic kits (TGA approved)
Accurate identification of a COVID-19 infection based on serology results, particularly those obtained from tests used at the point-of-care (POC), requires a well-defined understanding of the antibody response profile. The Doherty Institute has been engaged by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to assist with the post-market verification process of these tests to inform their use for accurate identification of a COVID-19 infection. To date, the Doherty Institute has completed the validation of 15 serology based POC tests as part of a review by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
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Saliva study: Investigating the use of saliva as a non-invasive specimen for the detection of SARS-CoV-2
This project is investigating the use of saliva as a suitable and effective specimen for testing for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses.
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The spit study: Saliva for diagnosis of COVID-19 in primary care, paediatric and out of hospital settings
This study aims to find out whether testing saliva for SARS-CoV-2 is as reliable as nose and throat swabs in a range of settings, including primary care, among children, and outbreak settings.
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Testing samples for COVID-19
The Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory and Royal Melbourne Hospital Microboilogy Department have been the leading COVID-19 diagnostics and reference laboratory in Victoria and Australia.
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