The Huo-Yan Gas Membrane Laboratory in the Pingfang district of Harbin, in Heilongjiang province [Photo/Harbin Daily]

The Huo-Yan Gas Membrane Laboratory — a newly-developed intelligent screening facility for the novel coronavirus pneumonia — is joining the fight against the virus in Harbin, capital city of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, according to its developers.

They said the laboratory — which is a temporary structure that can quickly be deployed in the field — was established in the Pingfang district of Harbin city over a seven-day period.
 
It has a daily screening capacity of 10,000 nucleic acid samples, according to the laboratory’s developer BGI—one of the world's leading life science and genomics organizations.
 
Construction of the laboratory fully considered global biosafety requirements and industry specifications.
 
It consists of six gas membranes and occupies an area of approximately 1,700 square meters.
 
The laboratory has five functional areas, including a sample collection area, a sample reception area, a reagent preparation area and a sample preparation area.
 
It is also equipped with 50 sets of novel coronavirus nucleic acid detection equipment, including biological safety cabinets, automatic nucleic acid preparation instruments, antibody detection equipment and gene sequencers.
 
The laboratory has the advantage of low energy consumption and intelligent detection and its external fabrication material is degradable and easy to transport.
 
Officials said that at present, the laboratory has completed the first round of experiments and has operated efficiently.