China's first mobile nucleic acid testing laboratory becomes operational at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, on Aug 7, 2020. (Photo: chinadaily.com.cn)

China's first mobile nucleic acid testing laboratory was put into use at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Aug 7.

Co-designed by Shanghai Science and Technology Committee, Shanghai Customs, Shanghai Baoshan Pacific Container Co., Ltd and Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry-Chinese Academy of Sciences, the laboratory is the first p2+ mobile nucleic acid testing laboratory in a standard container size in the nation.

The laboratory, which can be transported by trucks, freighter and rail, measures less than 30 square meters and is divided into three sections: reagent preparation, sample processing and nucleic acid testing.

According to the Shanghai Customs, the laboratory can support on-site testing at Pudong International Airport and can deliver results two hours quicker than conventional testing which involves transporting samples to a lab in the city. The lab is expected to test at least 200 samples per day.