Cleaning and Re-Use of cobas® 6800/8800 Processing Plates for the SARS-CoV-2 Assay

Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) is the primary method used for the detection and diagnosis of infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since SARS-CoV-2’s entrance into the United States, numerous clinical laboratories and in vitro diagnostic companies have developed rRT-PCR assays, some requiring specialized materials and reagents. One such assay includes the cobas® SARS-CoV-2 Qualitative Assay for use on the cobas® 6800/8800 (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.). Since initiation of this assay at our facility, our ability to run testing at full capacity has been limited due to restricted supply of the omni cobas® Processing Plate (Product Number 05534917001), a 96 deep well plate used for all sample processing and total nucleic acid extraction via MagNA Pure magnetic beads. To work around this limiting factor, we have successfully designed and tested a cleaning protocol utilizing the widely available laboratory resources of bleach, ethyl-alcohol and autoclaving, for omni cobas® Processing Plate re-use.