In the dark early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of reliable Covid-19 tests.

Hopkins scientists stepped into the breach: Drs. Elizabeth Jaffee and Mark Yarchoan led an effort to produce testing kits for use across Johns Hopkins Hospital. While research labs were shut down entirely for three months, eight Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, and technicians, plus Pienta and Amend, volunteered their expert bench skills to help in the effort.

Working in shifts with other Hopkins scientists, they made more than 100,000 tests, keeping the Hospital supplied for several months. “Reagents and materials used to make these kits were donated by labs across the campus, including our own and others in the Brady,” says Amend. “We are proud of our lab team who donated their skills in a time of critical need, who stepped up to bring the same caliber of excellence they bring to their research to keep our community safe.”