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Goal: Monitoring the genetic diversity and emerging mutations of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for understanding the evolution of the virus and assuring the performance of diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapies against COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is still adapting to humans and, as illustrated by B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.617.2 (Delta), lineage dynamics are fluid, and strain prevalence may change radically in a matter of months. The National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) initiative created a Variant Task Force to assess the impact of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants on in vitro diagnostic testing. Working in tandem with clinical laboratories, the FDA, and the CDC, the Variant Task Force uses both in silico modeling and in vitro testing to determine the effect of SARS-CoV-2 mutations on diagnostic molecular and antigen tests. Here, we offer an overview of the approach and activities of the RADx Variant Task Force to ensure test performance against emerging SARS-CoV-2 lineages.

Summary: As the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants brings the global pandemic to new levels, the performance of current rapid antigen tests against variants of concern and interest (VOC/I) is of significant public health concern. Here, we report assessment of the Abbot BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test. Using genetically sequenced remnant clinical samples collected from individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2, we assessed the performance of BinaxNOW against the variants that currently pose public health threats. We measured the limit of detection of BinaxNOW against various VOC/I in a blinded manner. BinaxNOW successfully detected the Omicron (B.1.1.529), Mu (B.1.621), Delta (B.1.617.2), Lambda (C.37), Gamma (P.1), Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Eta (B.1.525), and P.2 variants and at low viral concentrations. BinaxNOW also detected the Omicron variant in individual remnant clinical samples. Overall, these data indicate that this inexpensive and simple-to-use, FDA-authorized and broadly distributed rapid test can reliably detect Omicron, Delta, and other VOC/I.

The corrosion rates of additive-manufactured Mg alloys are higher than their as-cast counterparts, possibly due to increased kinetics for the hydrogen evolution reaction on secondary phases, which may include oxide inclusions. Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy demonstrated that MgO inclusions could act as cathodes for Mg corrosion, but their low conductivity likely precludes this. However, the density of state calculations through density functional theory using hybrid HSE06 functional revealed overlapping electronic states at the Mg/MgO interface, which facilitates electron transfers and participates in redox reactions. Subsequent determination of the hydrogen absorption energy at the Mg/MgO interface reveals it to be an excellent catalytic site, with HER being found to be a factor of 23x more efficient at the interface than on metallic Mg. The results not only support the plausibility of the Mg/MgO interface being an effective cathode to the adjacent anodic Mg matrix during corrosion but also contribute to the understanding of the enhanced cathodic activities observed during the anodic dissolution of magnesium.

The presence of porosity within magnesium-based orthopaedic implants is known to be beneficial, promoting cell proliferation and vascularisation. However, the presence of porosity increases the surface area available for corrosion, compounding the issue of high corrosion rates which has long been plaguing magnesium-based materials. This work looks at the influence of hydroxyapatite and phosphate conversion coatings on the corrosion performance of conventionally cast, dense Mg-Zn-Zr alloys and binder jet additive manufactured porous Mg-Zn-Zr scaffolds. The performance of coating on dense Mg-Zn-Zr was found to be more effective than the coating on the porous Mg-Zn-Zr scaffold, with the discrepancies attributed to both the microstructure and geometric influence of the binder jet additive manufactured, porous Mg-Zn-Zr scaffold, which not only increases the rate of hydrogen evolution but also reduces the ability of the hydrogen gas generated within the pore channels to escape to the sample’s surface. This restricts the effectiveness of coating application for porous Mg scaffold. Furthermore, the limited diffusion within the pore channels can also result in differing localized corrosion environments, causing discrepancies between the localised corrosion environment within the pore channels and that at the bulk electrolyte.