On the hunt for the virus: MAN’s mobile corona laboratory

Tuesday 27 October 2020

Dennis Affelds’ company car isn’t as beautiful as the Cadillac Miller Meteor Ghostbuster, but it’s more important. To advance the helpers in the fight against Corona, the head of strategy at MAN has developed a mobile test lab, which is now on its maiden voyage.

Dennis Affeld wears a shirt and jeans instead of an airtight spacesuit and doesn’t even have a huge nipple on his back. Yet it could pass as a colleague of Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz and Egon Spengler. Because just like the three parapsychologists at the time of the Ghostbusters, MAN’s head of strategy has an important mission for overall health. It is not for nothing that in the past six months he has developed a mobile corona laboratory, which is now making its maiden voyage and will soon be used dozens of times.

“Right now it is important that we get fast and reliable test results,” he learned in a dialogue with policy and partners from research, medicine and laboratory technology and complains about processes that are currently too long: until test person does not go to a doctor or testing center It takes two to four days for the samples to be sent to the laboratory for the results to be evaluated and reproduced. Two to four days in which healthy people can be quarantined for free. And even worse, where infected people generate long chains of contacts and possibly infect numerous people.

The tables are overturned

To drastically shorten this time, he wants to reverse the situation: “It is not the test person who comes to the laboratory, but the laboratory that comes from the test person.” And instead of simply taking the swab on site, the samples are also analyzed on site and sent online to authorities, medical professionals or the survey client. “Instead of four days, it takes less than 45 minutes to get in touch,” says Affeld, drawing attention to the TGE transporter which is as important to him as the legendary Cadillac Miller Meteor once was to Ghostbuster.

The minibus, which at first glance resembles a normal ambulance, contains everything the emergency services need to test on site, the MAN manager proudly states and outlines dozens of possible application scenarios: Not just hotspots in schools, in hospitals or senior centers they could be examined in this way and possibly cooled down. The mobile laboratory is also suitable for prevention: corporate events, fairs or congresses, concerts or sports competitions can be secured if all participants carry out the tests in advance. The mobile lab is not only fast, but also laborious: 60 samples can be analyzed per run, Affeld calculates. And when the crew is well trained and doesn’t waste much time driving, there are quickly 500 to 800 corona tests per day.

Three times more expensive than an ambulance

This is made possible by 16 so-called Vivalytic analysis devices that Bosch launched on the market a few weeks ago. They work according to the so-called PCRT method, which has so far been considered the most reliable corona detection and with a processing time of 39 minutes they are also the fastest on the market. However, each of these machines costs around 25,000 euros, Affeld says, explaining why the test vehicle costs around 620,000 – 640,000 euros – a good three times as much as a fully equipped ambulance or twelve times as much as the simple TGE. And the one with 177 hp diesel, all-wheel drive and eight-speed automatic is already at the top of the model range.

These test devices, powered with 220-volt electricity from the on-board network and cooled by fans, are mounted in the rear of the TGE like a battery from a gum machine and are powered by special cartridges in each of which are five tubes with the cotton swab swab and reagents. Affeld explains what is known as pooling, which can save a lot of time, only if a batch is marked positive.

Some pre-produced vehicles

In addition to the test devices, in six weeks MAN builds some work tables and cabinets, mostly by hand, which only at first glance look like the kitchen of a sober mobile home. “The expansion has been coordinated with the outbreak protection health care organization and therefore meets completely different requirements,” explains Affeld: the surfaces are particularly easy to disinfect, the floor has no joints where viruses could settle and the sink, for example, works without contact. There are also germ-proof containers for the protective suits used, which are also attached to the outside of the vehicle.

Now Affeld hopes that as quickly as possible as many labs, medical service providers, ancillary services or even large companies as possible will purchase the antivirus van and, with foresight, have pre-produced some vehicles. He thinks not only about business, but also about society, which may still be able to avoid a general lockdown and, thanks to the local quick test, may soon return to congresses or companies. Corona-Mobil cannot stop the virus. But it can help contain it, lift the authorities, and get life back on track. Then the MAN Affeld manager may soon return to the cinema. After all, a new Ghostbusters movie should be out next spring.