Utah lab working with CDC to develop testing for bird flu

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah laboratory is now working with the CDC to prepare for potential virus outbreaks in the future. Their first task focuses on testing for avian influenza, also known as bird flu.

ARUP Laboratory applied for a grant with the CDC and was accepted, along with four other labs, to be contracted over the next five years.

Right now the lab is working to develop a test for the bird flu in case it is needed in the future.

This agreement comes after health officials discovered the 14th human case of bird flu in the U.S. in Missouri. The first case in the U.S. with no known source of the virus.

“The idea is we’re going to be ahead of the curve this time,” said Benjamin Bradley, MD, PhD, medical director for virology at ARUP Laboratory.

There is no current threat of the bird flu becoming a pandemic, as there is no evidence of human-to-human spread. However, the purpose behind CDC and commercial lab partnerships is to be prepared for any situation.

“We’re going to start developing these things early and have that infrastructure in place so that if we do have that instance where this becomes a bigger public health threat than it is right now, we have that test developed and ready to scale,” explained Bradley.

Beyond the bird flu

The agreement between ARUP Labs and the CDC can extend beyond the bird flu.

‘The idea is that over the next five years or so, if the CDC sees a need for additional testing for certain pathogens they can reach out to us,” said Bradley.

Bradley said early preparation for potential pandemic situations is one of the smartest things to be doing.

“In the relative scope of things, this is a minor amount of work, a minor amount of time to develop. But it could provide us such a huge protection at a national scale in responding,” said Bradley.

This initial grant is part of a larger series of potential grants the CDC may offer ARUP in the future.

“To be able to take on these grants for the CDC is a great opportunity for us to show… Salt Lake and the greater community the role that we can play in improving our responses to public health threats. I think it’s something we should really be proud of,” said Bradley.

Additional labs partnered with the CDC include Quest Diagnostics, Labcorp, Aegis Sciences, and Ginkgo Bioworks.

ARUP Laboratories is a nonprofit enterprise of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology, as well as a national reference laboratory.

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