BROOKLYN, NY – March 23, 2021 – The Pandemic Response Laboratory (PRL) – the leading laboratory capable of concurrently conducting mass testing of schools, variant tracking, and individual testing – today announced the launch of four major national COVID-19 Testing centers to help all children return to the classroom safely. The four centers, operated by Opentrons Labworks Inc., will be located at PRL's existing laboratories in New York City as well as three new laboratories opening in Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; and Seattle, Washington.

Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory PRL also announced it has a plan to offer centralized testing to its school testing partners for just $25 per test, with results available within 12 hours. Fees are as low as $1 per child for a classroom of 25 students—the lowest lab costs in the nation—ensuring widespread availability of services and fast, accurate results. In addition to schools, PRL’s group testing is open to cities, states, counties and major employers.

"For most families, the past year has been nearly impossible to get through," said Jonathan Brennan-Badal, CEO of Opentrons. "Pandemic Response Laboratory (PRL) are the solutions American families need to get our children back to school safely, equitably, and efficiently. By using our advanced robotics and cutting-edge genomic sequencing, we can do what no other lab can - provide Lab School Pool offers fast, accurate testing, variant tracking and the lowest costs on the market Testing Services. By offering these low-cost lab services, we provide schools with affordable testing solutions – regardless of their location or the affluence of the surrounding area.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed all of our lives, and New York City has been on the front lines of the battle,” said Dr. Jay Varma, senior advisor for public health in the New York City Mayor’s Office. “We are extremely grateful for our partnership with the Epidemic Response Laboratory. Without its outstanding work, New York City would not be able to create the largest testing and tracing program in the country, as well as rapid, accurate and affordable testing. Today’s news states that they Plans to make individual and group testing more affordable will have a significant impact on getting children and staff back to school safely."

“Having run one of the largest public health programs in the nation, I can tell you that the expansion of the Pandemic Response Laboratory (PRL) will transform our approach to fighting this deadly virus,” said former California State Director Jennifer Kent. way. ” Department of Health Care Services. "PRL has dramatically improved how testing, variant tracking and school pooling are done — all in one place, quickly, accurately, and at the lowest cost on the market — in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Seattle. Testing Increased capacity means we can finally get our children back to school safely and get our society and economy back on a solid footing."

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At each center, PRL works with school testing coordinators and leading health diagnostics companies to collect samples from schools. These samples are then sent to the PRL for laboratory school pool testing and variant tracking services.

The tests for PRL are:

— Highly accurate: 25% more sensitive than industry benchmark PCR tests.

— Fast: 99% of PCR results are available in 24 hours or less, compared to the industry average of 48 to 72 hours.

— Affordable: PRL offers a range of batch-based testing solutions to its partners, including $25 per group test for up to 25 students, or just $1 per child — a cost that’s 50 percent less than the national average.

— Proven technology: Since October 2020, PRL has processed more than 2 million tests for New Yorkers. PRL now tests more than 120,000 students and educators each month.

Combined testing is a cost-effective tool that allows schools to broadly test students, faculty, and support staff to quickly determine the presence of COVID-19, then follow up to identify any positive individuals and perform rapid contact tracing and mitigation measure. Genomic sequencing of PRL can also tell schools if dangerous variants are present, providing key information for developing community responses.

In addition to launching new testing centers in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Seattle, Opentrons is exploring opening labs in other communities across the country.

More information about the Epidemic Response Laboratory

PRL leverages Opentrons' advanced robotics technology to provide fast, accurate COVID-19 testing at low cost to government agencies, hospitals, businesses and schools. PRL is also conducting large-scale genome sequencing to track COVID-19 variants and identify potentially dangerous new mutations.

Opentrons opened its first PRL in New York last fall in partnership with the city and has since been providing testing and variant detection to the city, area hospitals and other clients.

In February 2021, a New York laboratory identified the first case of B1.351, the South African variant of COVID-19, in a New York state resident. The lab has also been tracking the spread of the UK variant and other mutations and providing real-time alerts to health authorities.

PRL performs 30,000 to 50,000 PCR tests per day at its New York City laboratory, with testing capacity growing to more than 500,000 as additional labs are opened across the country.

Opentrons can open PRLs in the United States and most of the world within 30-45 days. The company focuses on manufacturing innovative robotic automation solutions for the healthcare sector. Its products are used in more than 3,000 laboratories in more than 40 countries.

Photos and behind-the-scenes footage

Photos and behind-the-scenes videos from PRL's New York City lab, including footage of Opentrons robots performing PCR tests, can be viewed and downloaded here .

Photo and b-roll opportunities at the PRL Washington, D.C. laboratory can be arranged upon request.

An infographic with key FAQs and statistics is available for download here.

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Media seeking interviews with PRL leadership and scientists, or media interested in visiting the lab in New York or Washington, D.C., please contact Steve Posner at [email protected] or 202-827-9688.

Schools and partners interested in learning more about PRL testing capabilities and availability should visit pandemicresponselab.com.