In this episode of Laboratory Equipment's LabChat, Editor-in-Chief Michelle Taylor speaks with Rob Gerlach, the Executive Director of Tech Transfer and Commercialization at Wichita State University. Last month, Wichita State University opened its Molecular Diagnostics Lab, which can process up to up to 32,000 COVID-19 tests per week.
While that's incredible in and of itself, what's even more intriguing is that the fully functioning lab was an empty warehouse 6 months before its ribbon cutting ceremony. Through valuable partnerships and previous lessons learned, Wichita State University was able to quickly respond to Kansas' need for rapid, high-volume testing during the global pandemic. Listen to the podcast below to learn more about how the university worked through challenges to help pioneer acenter dedicated to combatting and reducing the spread of COVID-19.