Nationwide quality assurance of high-throughput diagnostic molecular testing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: role of the Belgian National Reference Centre

• Published in: Virology journal Vol. 21; no. 1; p. 40
• Main Authors: Janssen, Reile, Cuypers, Lize, Laenen, Lies, Keyaerts, Els, Beuselinck, Kurt, Janssenswillen, Sunita, Slechten, Bram, Bode, Jannes, Wollants, Elke, Van Laethem, Kristel, Rector, Annabel, Bloemen, Mandy, Sijmons, Anke, de Schaetzen, Nathalie, Capron, Arnaud, Van Baelen, Kurt, Pascal, Thierry, Vermeiren, Céline, Bureau, Fabrice, Vandesompele, Jo, De Smet, Pieter, Uten, Wouter, Malonne, Hugues, Kerkhofs, Pierre, De Cock, Jo, Matheeussen, Veerle, Verhasselt, Bruno, Gillet, Laurent, Detry, Gautier, Bearzatto, Bertrand, Degosserie, Jonathan, Henin, Coralie, Pairoux, Gregor, Maes, Piet, Van Ranst, Marc, Lagrou, Katrien, Dequeker, Elisabeth, André, Emmanuel
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 10.02.2024; Springer Science and Business Media LLC; BMC
• Subjects: Automation; Belgium; Belgium/epidemiology; Chlamydia; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 diagnostic tests; COVID-19 Testing; COVID-19/diagnosis; COVID-19/epidemiology; Cytomegalovirus; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Genomes; High-throughput testing; Human health sciences; Humans; Infectious Diseases; Influenza; Laboratories; Medical laboratories; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; National reference centre; Pandemics; Pathogens; Politics; Public health; Public health, health care sciences & services; Quality assurance; Quality control; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory syncytial virus; Santé publique, services médicaux & soins de santé; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2/genetics; Sciences de la santé humaine; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Streptococcus infections; Virology; Viruses; Chicago Illinois; Belgium; United States > US; Massachusetts; Illinois; COVID-19; National reference centre; High-throughput testing; Quality assurance; SARS-CoV-2; Belgium
• ISSN: 1743-422X; 1743-422X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02308-y

Since the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Belgium, UZ/KU Leuven has played a crucial role as the National Reference Centre (NRC) for respiratory pathogens, to be the first Belgian laboratory to develop and implement laboratory developed diagnostic assays for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) and later to assess the quality of commercial kits. To meet the growing demand for decentralised testing, both clinical laboratories and government-supported high-throughput platforms were gradually deployed across Belgium. Consequently, the role of the NRC transitioned from a specialised testing laboratory to strengthening capacity and coordinating quality assurance. Here, we outline the measures taken by the NRC, the national public health institute Sciensano and the executing clinical laboratories to ensure effective quality management of molecular testing throughout the initial two years of the pandemic (March 2020 to March 2022).