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Guided by CEO Chad Price, MAKO Medical Laboratories, a national reference laboratory, has fast become a leader in COVID-19 testing and research. Since the pandemic started in early 2020, the entrepreneur chose to expand the already-popular healthcare brand to facilitate the increase in testing demand. This savvy business move-alongside partnering with governmental bodies-has meant that the company has played an integral role.
At the end of 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the Omicron mutation as a 'variant of concern'. The experts stated that it is not yet clear whether this strain of the virus is more transmissible than earlier variants. Since more research into the traits of the mutation are needed, there has been a surge in testing across the board. Fortunately, the experts at MAKO Medical Laboratories were in a prime position to cope with the demand.
"With the recent surge in the Omicron variant, our MAKO Medical team has seen a significant spike in tests and we have continued to scale up to meet this increasing demand," said Josh Arant, Chief Operating Officer, MAKO Medical. "This latest milestone of 10 million tests underscores the effort we have put in to deliver rapid, reliable test results across the country and assist public health authorities as they monitor the spread of the virus."
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) accredited laboratory boasts two facilities; one in Henderson and one in Raleigh. As a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Chad Price made the innovative shift to expand the Henderson laboratory and increased the company's testing capacity three-fold. The experts went from completing 50,000 coronavirus tests per day to dealing with more than 150,000 each day.
Fast-forward to January 2022, and the MAKO Medical Laboratories team have processed more than 10 million COVID-19 tests. The experts use the latest RT-PCR technology alongside industry-leading testing assays. Thanks to the Applied Biosystems TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Assay, the experts have the capacity to complete large numbers of tests every day without fail, offering the highest level of accuracy and transparency.
In 2021, MAKO Medical Laboratories partnered with the Center for Disease Control and Protection (CDC). The move allowed them to offer next-generation sequencing of SARS-CoV-2. Using this sequencing process, the lab experts have been able to analyze a group of more than 5,000 samples per week. These samples come from more than 40 states, meaning that they have a high chance of identifying new variants. Since the team began testing, the experts have noted a selection of SARS-CoV-2 virus mutations, including the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, B.1.429, B.1.617.2 and B.1.1.529 variants.
The strategic partnerships don't end there. Chad Price negotiated a partnership with leading life sciences company, Thermo Fisher Scientific. This allowed the MAKO Medical Laboratories team to use the high-capacity sequencing platforms to provide high-quality sequencing data. When the Omicron variant emerged, Thermo Fisher announced that its polymerase chain reaction (PCR) TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit and TaqPath COVID-19 CE-IVD RT-PCR Kit are not impacted by the new strain. That means that the technology can be used to offer accurate testing results for the B.1.1.529 variant of the virus. Put simply, the kits allow scientists to single-out characteristics specific to the latest mutation.
"The qPCR assay our MAKO Medical team deploys checks for all three targets in a COVID-19 positive test result, the N gene, S gene, and ORF1ab," said Josh Arant. "This is important because unlike the delta variant, which produces a signal for all three targets, early indication shows that the omicron variant is unique in that it will only produce a signal for the N gene and the ORF1ab gene. The TaqPath assay can be used as a proxy for the Omicron variant."
Needless to say, all viruses mutate over time in a bid to survive. The COVID-19 virus is no different. That's why, since the start of the pandemic, experts have monitored the variants of SARS-CoV-2 as they emerge. Keeping track of these mutations empowers government bodies and policymakers to aptly manage virus containment. Additionally, this research means that experts can determine whether the current vaccines will be effective.
The MAKO Medical Laboratories team also offers turnkey K-12 COVID-19 testing across various states. The company has started to provide onsite workplace testing to enable employers to protect their staff members. For this purpose, the company dispatches mobile units to business premises and can rapidly serve group testing needs. The service is game-changing in containing the spread of the virus as many Americans return to work.
Chad Price Expands Mako Medical Laboratories During Pandemic
With Chad Price at the helm, MAKO Medical Laboratories is a leading testing and reference laboratory. The company specializes in methodology development and pathological services. With a team of nationally-recognized doctors and PhDs, the laboratory group is known for its accuracy, speed, and transparency. Thanks to an innovative approach to health, it offers patients control over their testing options.
Toward the start of 2020, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak transformed the medical world. It was then that Chad Price decided to expand MAKO Medical Laboratories. In mere months, the company went from employing around 300 individuals to having a team of more than 1,000. Additionally, the founders expanded one of the company's two laboratories to meet the growing testing and research demands.
MAKO Medical Laboratories has partnered with technology companies and governmental bodies to offer the latest in COVID-19 research. So far, the experts have identified a broad selection of mutations including the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and B.1.429 variants. These samples have been gathered from tests across 43 states since the start of the pandemic.
Chad Price is the co-founder and CEO of MAKO Medical Laboratories. Prior to starting the business, he co-founded BrideGenie and founded Element Services Group Mechanical LLC. Moreover, he is a board member for Trill A.I. and collaborated in founding Cary Reconstruction. He currently offers consulting services to businesses primed for growth.
