In WP2, we developed the novel MOBILISE platform. During field trialling in Germany, Austria, Greece and Tanzania, we demonstrated the laboratory's full portfolio of diagnostics and cutting-edge analysis for high-risk pathogens to the field. Whilst mounted on a Mercedes Atego truck, MOBILISE has a very compact footprint during transport mode, yet when expanded, it has significantly more space available than comparable container laboratories. Because of this 30% gain in working area, and the innovative separation of the working area into rooms (BSL-3 room, 2 x wings), MOBILISE can house many diagnostic workflows. As a fully dedicated One Health laboratory, varying sample types can be received and inactivated in the negatively pressurized, BSL-3 containment area with its class III biosafety cabinet ("glovebox"). We are not only able to inactivate the most infectious viral agents (risk group 4), but can also cultivate, identify and screen bacteria for anti-microbial resistance. The wings can be used for PCR diagnostics and One Health Sequencing, as they allow the separation of workflows into a clean pre-PCR room and a dirty post-PCR/Sequencing area. All of this was possible due to MDSC's innovative laboratory shelter design, and the selection of highly compact, energy efficient engineering solutions, in particular when designing the BSL-3 room. MOBILISE can be fully operated on renewable and green energy.
Within WP3 AIT developed novel nucleic-acid based rapid diagnostic kits (RDTs) which, as opposed to conventional RDTs that detect antigens produced by a pathogen, directly detect genetic material of CCHFV and WNV. In the future, we are aiming for a low tech, rapid test with a sensitivity comparable to PCR, which can be utilized in low resource settings as well. A particularly interesting feature is that these RDTs are machine-readable and can be automatically analyzed from within the glovebox, thus significantly reducing the turn-around time to diagnosis for risk group 4 pathogens such as CCHFV.
