Multiallelic Synthetic Quality Control Material: Lessons Learned from the Cystic Fibrosis External Quality Assessment Scheme

Abstract

Synthetic quality control materials proved to be valuable in troubleshooting underperforming assays and complement existing genomic controls. The study also revealed a strong need for increased quality control in the postanalytical phase of testing.

External Quality Assessment for Molecular Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Clinical Laboratories

“…However, due to the primer design and the competition of primer set in the multiplex reaction, it is normal for an assay to have different amplification efficiencies for each target, which causes differences in the sensitivity for each target. 24,25 Multiple pairs of primers in a PCR analysis will also increase the probability of mispairing and nonspecific amplification products (primer dimers). 26,27 In addition, enzymes, primers, the optimal salt ion concentration, and cycle numbers required for primers based on different genes might be different.…”