Within a week, all the necessary components were moving into place, including meeting Position tried to tell them why the University couldn't accomplish the goal, HeldtĪnd colleagues looked elsewhere, finding the correct combination of expertise andĪ can-do attitude in Dr. When the first candidate for the lab medical director The John Hopkins University lab sent reagent kits to help Tech's lab get started,Īnd the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Laboratories was a continual source of guidance and support. The Michigan Tech community reached out to all its contacts. Lab equipment was gathered from all available resources. Going to dedicate the next few weeks to getting this done. She notes, pandemic protocols worked in Tech's favor. "Our goal was to come up with questions and get answers," says Heldt. Safely." It was the start of an ongoing inquiry that would continue far longer than On a phone call with Vice President of Research David Reed the next day, she confirmed it: "We have PCR machines and we can do it Tests in accordance with safety guidelines.
Heldt also had the Biosafety Level 2 expertise required to process The University had the PCR equipment on campus necessary for analyzing test samples The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test used to detect the virus entailed. "There wasn't capacity for the Upper Peninsula," says Heldt.Ĭould Michigan Tech provide it? That evening, Heldt began looking into what running The nation and tests themselves were in short supply in the UP and other remote and At the time, testing delays were common across Who, along with other state legislators representing the Upper Peninsula, wanted toīring COVID-19 testing to the region.
Heldt remembers how satisfying it felt to open the lab-and how fulfilling it feltĪrcher posed an extraordinary question.
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