MAKO Medical Laboratories recently announced a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide sequencing of the COVID-19 virus.

This announcement continued the work that Chad Price, MAKO's chief executive officer, and his team have done to become a leading national reference lab and in COVID-19 testing.

Sequencing is critical to identifying, tracing, and treating variants in the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. It's work that has propelled MAKO Medical Laboratories to the forefront in the global fight against the pandemic.

Since January 2021, MAKO Medical has used sequencing processes to analyze samples from tests conducted by its labs. The more than 2,500 samples from across 43 states have helped identify the presence of variants in the COVID-19 virus, including the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and B.1.429 variants, in 25 states.

The CDC had solicited qualified laboratories to perform genomic surveillance of a randomized set of samples from across the United States. Scientists across the world have been monitoring COVID-19 for variants and mutations.

While mutations are a natural process occurring in all viruses, the mutations of SARS-CoV-2 carry significant risk. As the virus has mutated, it has significantly impacted outbreaks in every corner of the world and could affect the efficacy of vaccines now being deployed.

For MAKO Medical and Chad Price, the initiative to identify and trace mutations has meant a partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a leading life sciences company. Thermo Fisher has been able to leverage high-capacity sequencing platforms to support both current and planned future needs MAKO Medical has.

MAKO Medical uses Thermo Fisher's Ion Torrent GeneStudio S5 Prime System to accelerate the sequencing process, able to produce high-quality sequencing information in a few hours. In addition, MAKO Medical uses Thermo Fisher's Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel, which can sequence more than 99 percent of the COVID-19 genome.

Using these platforms, MAKO's existing operations can sequence 6,000 samples per week with the capacity to expand to 200,000 samples per week if necessary.

"The MAKO team is proud to partner with the Centers for Disease Control to provide sequencing services for samples from across the country," Josh Arant, MAKO Medical's chief operating officer, said in announcing the partnership.

During the past year, Arant explained, MAKO Medical was offering fast COVID-19 test results across 43 states, but "recognized the need to introduce sequencing for a portion of samples our team collected earlier this year."

According to Steve Hoover, vice president of laboratory operations for MAKO Medical, identifying the United Kingdom, South African, and Denmark variants is critical for ensuring safety and treatment. "As new strains are defined," Hoover said, "MAKO continues to sequence samples and provide much-needed data to public health professionals."

About Chad Price and MAKO Medical

Chad Price founded MAKO Medical in 2014. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., it is an accredited laboratory with the College of American Pathologists.

MAKO Medical operates more than 70,000 square feet of laboratory space in two North Carolina facilities in Raleigh and Henderson.

In addition to offering diagnostic testing, MAKO Medical also provides medical transportation, document management, medical waste management, logistics, staffing, and technology services.

Forbes magazine named MAKO Medical one of America's Best Startup Employers in 2020, an honor given to just 500 companies nationwide.

Price founded the company after meeting Arant in a Bible study class. Price shared the challenges and frustrations faced in caring for his sister, Jessica, who has a genetic condition that has limited her mental capacity.

Chad Price felt he needed to build a company that could respond to some of the operational failures he saw in caring for his sister, including slow response times for lab results, poor transparency in sharing pricing, and lackluster customer service.

In 2020, the company expanded its Henderson facility in response to the COVID-19 crisis, growing the testing capacity from 50,000 tests per day to more than 150,000 tests per day.

Since it began testing in April 2020, MAKO Medical has conducted more than 7 million PCR COVID-19 tests. Today, the company processes more than 30,000 COVID-19 tests daily from 43 states.

The company has been active in testing and other initiatives related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among its work:

• Launching a single test, called COVflu-19, to test for COVID-19, influenza A, and influenza B

• Working as the official testing provider for two major NCAA Division 1 conferences, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Big South conference

• Providing testing for two professional soccer franchises, the North Carolina Courage and North Carolina FC

Among its latest initiatives are the MakoRx pharmacy and diagnostic imaging services. These services are designed to provide much-needed services to independent pharmacies and medical practices.