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VIRGINIA TECH

MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS LAB

Clinical Testing

The Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory operates a coordinated set of platforms spanning quantitative and digital PCR, short-read and long-read sequencing, immunoassay, and biomolecular interaction analysis, supported by automated liquid handling and dedicated bioinformatics infrastructure. Instruments are designated as clinical, research-use, or shared. Assay-specific clinical availability is described on the Cancer Genomics and Clinical Testing pages.

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Facility overview

The laboratory occupies 5,250 ft² of dedicated research and clinical laboratory space at 4 Riverside Circle in Roanoke, subdivided into functional zones designed for biosafety, workflow linearity, and regulatory compliance. Office and computational infrastructure totals an additional 4,050 ft².

Functional zones
  • Red Zone (3,440 ft²)   Initial sample manipulation and non-extraction test analyses, including receipt, accessioning, neutralization, and antibody/antigen testing. Segregated from nucleic acid workflows and equipped with biosafety cabinets, immunoassay platforms, and sample-tracking systems.
  • Blue Zone (400 ft²)   Nucleic acid amplification — conventional PCR, real-time PCR, digital droplet PCR, and sequencing-related preparation. Physically insulated from pre-amplification areas to prevent contamination. Houses thermal cyclers, real-time PCR platforms, ddPCR systems, and a dedicated bench for Sanger sequencing preparation.
  • Green Zone (1,410 ft²)   Nucleic acid extraction, manipulation, dilution, and control preparation. Serves as the core molecular biology workspace, with strict workflow linearity to protect assay integrity and support reproducibility.
  • Alcoves (six)   Insulated task-segregated spaces for automated nucleic acid isolation, infectious-sample manipulation, test-kit preparation and LDT development, genomic screening (NGS), wastewater sample processing for public health surveillance, and nucleic acid manipulation and dilution.
  • Cold room (~140 ft²)   Bulk reagent storage, general materials, and LDT kits under stable temperature conditions.
  • Waste management space (150 ft²)   Automated autoclaves and a laboratory-grade dishwasher for sterilization of laboratory waste, reusable glassware, and biohazard materials.

 

 

Sequencing

Clinical

Two Thermo Fisher Ion Torrent Genexus Integrated Sequencers, paired with the Genexus Purification System for end-to-end, sample-to-report next-generation sequencing.

Research use only

Long-read sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore GridION is used for research-use structural-variant and rearrangement analysis.

 

PCR and Digital PCR

 

Real-time PCR

Eighteen Bio-Rad CFX384 Real-Time PCR Systems (C1000 Touch thermal cyclers) are each paired with a dedicated computer and UPS protection for uninterrupted runs.

Research use only

The Bio-Rad QX ONE Droplet Digital PCR System are used for ultra-sensitive nucleic acid quantification, rare-variant detection, and copy-number analysis outside validated clinical use.

 

Immunoassay

 

Automated ELISA

Three Dynex DSX Automated ELISA systems are used for serology and antigen/antibody testing.

 

Interaction analysis

 

Research use only

The Biacore 3000 surface plasmon resonance system is used for biomolecular interaction analysis and translational biomarker studies.

 

Automation and pre-analytical control

  • Five Eppendorf epMotion 5073 automated liquid handlers for assay setup and library-prep support.
  • Six Mystaire MyPCR Prep Stations for pre-PCR contamination control.
  • Nine LABCONCO Class II Biological Safety Cabinets.
  • Eppendorf Centrifuge 5810R (large-volume refrigerated) and six Eppendorf Centrifuge 5425 microcentrifuges for sample processing.

 

Quantification and quality control

  • Thermo Scientific NanoDrop 2000c spectrophotometer
  • Qubit Flex fluorometer

Cold chain and storage

A redundant Thermo Fisher Scientific cold-chain supports secure short- and long-term storage of clinical specimens, bulk reagents, and LDT kits. Configuration is designed to maintain integrity under high-throughput and surge conditions.

Bioinformatics infrastructure

Dedicated bioinformatics workstations support variant calling, transcriptomic analyses, and pipeline development. A high-performance analysis workstation supports NGS workflows, ddPCR data, long-read assembly, and molecular modeling. All systems are networked through Virginia Tech's secure institutional infrastructure. Data are stored in a HIPAA- and CLIA-compliant environment with daily automated backups and encrypted off-site redundancy.

Designation legend

Clinical   Platform used for analytically validated, clinically reportable testing

Under validation   Platform used for assays currently in analytical validation

Research-use only   Platform used for research applications outside the clinical menu

Contact Us

Sarah Stern
General Supervisor
Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostic Lab
sterns@vt.edu
540-526-2630