Image of the Day: Huo-Yan Air Lab

An inflatable biosafety laboratory may help meet the global need for testing infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amy Schleunes

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ABOVE: An aerial view of the first Huo-Yan Air Lab with five pods at the China National GeneBank in Shenzhen
BGI

The first Huo-Yan Air Lab, an inflatable, portable laboratory equipped with a medical waste exhaust system, qPCR instruments, gene sequencers, and other COVID-19 nucleic acid detection technology, was installed outside the China National GeneBank in Shenzhen this month, according to a BGI press release.

The easily transportable structure is intended to help ramp up virus testing and screening infrastructure, and features separate areas for various steps in collection and analysis, according to the statement, as well as a bathroom and ventilation system that prevents contamination.

Covering an area of roughly 400 square meters, the facility can process 5,000 to 10,000 samples per day, says the release.

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Meet the Author

Amy Schleunes
A former intern at The Scientist, Amy studied neurobiology at Cornell University and later earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa. She is a Los Angeles–based writer, editor, and communications strategist who collaborates on nonfiction books for Harper Collins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and also teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University CTY. Her favorite projects involve sharing the insights of science and medicine.
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