Weekly COVID-19 Update: Efforts to Standardize SARS-CoV-2 Assays, Keeping Food Processing Safe, and More
9/21/2020
The ANSI Federation and standardization community are stepping up with guidance, resources, and initiatives to support public health, safety, and infrastructure during the COVID-19 outbreak. ANSI is monitoring, sharing, and promoting appropriate news to highlight these efforts. Suggestions for news items may be submitted to [email protected]. All submissions are published at ANSI's discretion.
Siemens Healthineers and CDC Join European Commission to Standardize SARS-CoV-2 Assays
Siemens Healthineers (previously Siemens Healthcare) recently announced that it has joined the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the JRC (Joint Research Centre) of the European Commission on a research project to develop a novel process for standardizing SARS-CoV-2 assays.
According to Siemens Healthineers, antibody tests differ among test manufacturers and currently cannot be analytically compared because they target different SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Through the collaboration, Siemens Healthineers, the CDC, and the JRC will develop a novel process for standardizing SARS-CoV-2 assays by anchoring each protein to a neutralization antibody titer—a level of antibody present to block virus from entering cells in laboratory experiments. The thresholds displayed in the standardized unit of measure for IgG—arising either from natural infection or vaccination—may likely contribute to a standardized interpretation of immunity through test results.
"One barrier to antibody test adoption is we don't currently have an established process to determine immunity," said Deepak Nath, Ph.D., president of laboratory diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers. “Our collaboration with the CDC and JRC will develop the framework that all antibody test manufacturers would be expected to adopt moving forward for greater benefit to patient care as the pandemic evolves."
Standardization across manufacturers is expected to improve patient care by enabling long-term antibody level comparison—clinical information that is important for verifying natural immunity acquired by patient’s infection with the virus.
Learn more in Siemens Healthineers’ press release.
PMMI Highlights Food Processing during the Pandemic in Season 2 Podcast
PMMI, in its ongoing podcast covering the most pressing business challenges in real-time – including how PMMI and its members are addressing the COVID-19 crisis, reveals food processing during the pandemic. Find out what plants are doing to keep workers and food supply safe in the most recent podcast in conversation with editor-in-chief of ProFood World magazine Joyce Fassl.
Other recent on-demand episodes include Bridging the Skills Gap Through Industry Partnerships, Healthcare Packaging on the Front Lines of Pandemic.
Access season 2 of PMMI's “UnPACKed with PMMI” via its website.
NISO Training Series on Assessment Practices and Metrics in a 21st Century Pandemic
The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) has kicked off a training series to explore planning, management, and assessment practices in libraries during COVID-19. Sessions will cover effective practices for planning for library spaces, collections, services, and strategic innovations, and are a sequel to the 2018 and 2019 offerings.
NISO's Training Series will explore some new and some familiar topics on spaces, collections, services and strategic innovations through the lens of COVID-19. Guest lecturers this year will focus on the transformations happening in today’s 21st century library.
Registration closes on October 09, 2020. Find out more information on NISO.org.
See more ANSI member efforts in the ANSI COVID-19 Resource Webpage Highlighting Standardization Community Response Efforts.
