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VCS FOUNDATION STRATEGIC PLAN 2020-2025
SEVEN DIVERSIFY THE RANGE OF VCS PATHOLOGY LABORATORY TESTS BY LEVERAGING OUR EXISTING EXPERTISE AND CAPITAL INVESTMENT
VCS Foundation meets the relevant National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) regulatory requirements for Australian Laboratories reporting under the National Cervical Screening Program and is accredited to perform tests as part of the Program. The laboratory is accredited to test for: + Human papillomavirus (HPV) + Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) + Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) + Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) + Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) + Influenza A, influenza B, RSV, MPV, HRV, PIV, and AdV.
Assoc Prof David Hawkes, DIRECTOR MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
The testing platforms currently operating in the laboratory are the Roche cobas 4800, Roche cobas 6800, Abbott Alinity m, Seegene STARlet/ CFX, Cepheid GeneXpert IV and the new Victorian Department of Health funded BD Onclarity HPV assay. The BD Onclarity HPV assay is the first clinically validated commercial assay to have an approved manufacturer’s claim for HPV testing of self-collected vaginal swabs. This will allow for faster processing of self-collected specimens. The BD Onclarity will expand the capacity of VCS Foundation to process self-collected vaginal swabs for HPV. It strategically aligns with the recent announcement by the Medical Services Advisory Committee regarding Medicare changes for self-collected HPV tests. In 2020, VCS Pathology was accredited for the extension of the stability claim
for self-collected specimens to be tested for HPV as part of the National Cervical Screening Program. This means that VCS Foundation now has accreditation to process self-collected swabs received up to 28 days after patient collection. VCS Pathology has successfully established eight different nucleic acid amplification testing assays and platforms for the testing of SARS-CoV-2 including Seegene, Abbott, Hologic, Cepheid and Roche. The laboratory can process and report over 1,500 SARS-CoV-2 tests per day and provide electronic reports to both the clinical referrers and the Victorian Department of Health within 24 hours.
The new BD COR system will be critical in ensuring VCS Pathology can effectively respond to growing demand for self-collected HPV tests in Victoria and support the Victorian Government in achieving its elimination targets.
