Life Sciences Testing Center Archives

lab technician holding a pool of covid tests

Pooled testing can make COVID-19 surveillance more efficient. But is it accurate?

Many coronavirus testing labs combine samples for faster, less costly results. But the pooled testing approach doesn’t mean the same thing in all labs. Jared Auclair, who runs Northeastern University’s COVID-19 testing facility, explains how pooled testing works and what results mean.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki February 16, 2022

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

COVID-19 isn’t going away. But now we know how to live with it.

The COVID-19 toolbox is starting to look a lot more like the approach to battling other viruses. “So 2022 is sort of about making that transition to the new endemic world,” says Jared Auclair, director of the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki February 15, 2022

Understanding how viruses evolve can help us understand what future variants of the coronavirus we might see—and whether or not we should fear them. Getty Images

Do viruses such as the coronavirus become less deadly?

Understanding how viruses evolve can help us understand what future variants of the coronavirus we might see—and why they might not necessarily be a specter of doom. “What’s the virus trying to do?” says Jared Auclair, associate teaching professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern. “If it kills the host, it dies with the host.”

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki December 13, 2021

Northeastern’s COVID-19 testing center is ready to identify the omicron variant

As the world faces the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, early detection will be crucial to identifying and responding to any risk the variant might pose. “We take a more targeted approach, which gives us a head start,” says Jared Auclair, who runs Northeastern’s Life Sciences Testing Center in Burlington, Mass.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki November 29, 2021

Here’s how Northeastern is keeping an eye on possible COVID-19 variants on campus

When the Northeastern community returns to weekly surveillance COVID-19 testing in the fall for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, the COVID-19 wellness team won’t just be monitoring positive or negative cases. They’ll also be keeping track of which variants of the virus are popping up in our community—and they’ll know quickly which ones are responsible.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 10, 2021

1 million coronavirus tests

Running seven days a week, 24 hours a day, Northeastern’s Life Sciences Testing Center has crossed an important milestone by processing its millionth nasal swab test for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that cause COVID-19. “The most significant thing that testing has allowed us to do is operate safely,” said Jared Auclair, who leads the facility.

by Peter Ramjug April 28, 2021

Northeastern’s COVID-19 test lab now processes pool tests for K-12 schools

Thanks to a partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, Northeastern’s Life Sciences Testing Center now processes COVID-19 pool test samples for K-12 schools.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki April 1, 2021

Thomas Nedell, senior vice president for finance and treasurer. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

The Northeastern University budget, explained

The extent to which institutions weathered the storm will matter greatly when it comes time to refocus and rebuild, and for Northeastern, the financial outlook is “very strong,” says Tom Nedell, senior vice president for finance and treasurer for the university. News@Northeastern sat down with Nedell to discuss Northeastern’s current budget, and projections for next year.

by Molly Callahan February 22, 2021

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Northeastern to offer household COVID-19 testing for faculty and staff

Faculty and staff at Northeastern’s Boston campus will soon be able to utilize the university’s COVID-19 testing program for members of their households. Employees can purchase take-home pool testing kits to be analyzed at the university’s Life Sciences Testing Center.

by Molly Callahan February 16, 2021

Record number of undergraduate students apply to Northeastern for fall 2021

Northeastern University received more than 75,000 undergraduate applications for the 2021-22 academic year—a record number that university officials attribute to a range of factors, including its leadership in experiential learning, a strengthening global brand, and a successful reopening of the university during the pandemic.

by Molly Callahan February 3, 2021

Life Sciences Testing Center