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Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

Testing of Worn Face Masks for Timely Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in Hemodialysis Patients.

Xiaoling Wang, Nadja Grobe, Zahin Haq, Ohnmar Thwin, Lemuel Rivera Fuentes, Dugan Maddux, Peter Kotanko

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily transmitted through aerosolized droplets.1 Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhale SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies at a rate of 103 to 105 per minute.2 In the United States, in-center hemodialysis patients and staff are mandated to wear face masks while staying in the dialysis clinic. Previously, face mask sampling was applied to patients with common cold symptoms.3 Recently, a novel method was described to detect exhaled SARS-CoV-2 by using special sampling strips attached to the inside of a duck-billed mask.4 We tested the hypothesis that assaying masks worn by in-center hemodialysis patients for SARS-CoV-2 RNA could provide an opportunity to identify infected subjects.



About the Contributors

Dr. Peter Kotanko, MD

RRI Research Director

SVP, Corporate Research & Development

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More about:

Nadja Grobe, MS, PhD

Supervisor, Laboratory Research

Nadja received her MS and PhD in biochemistry from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Prior to joining RRI in 2017, she gained more than 10 years of experience in guiding and implementing chemistry, biochemistry, and biomedical-focused research teams in nonprofit, academia, and government. Her previous research has been funded by the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Society of Nephrology.

Xiaoling Wang, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Xiaoling joined RRI in 2019. She received her PhD in biochemistry and structural biology  at Stony Brook University. Prior to joining RRI, she had years of postdoctoral experiences at Rockefeller University studying transcriptional regulation in vitro and in vivo. Xiaoling brings her extensive biochemistry, molecular and cell biology experiences to RRI. At RRI, Xiaoling is involved in many ongoing research projects and would also like to explore new projects

Zahin Haq

Molecular Diagnostics Technologist

Zahin Haq obtained her B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from The City College of New York in 2018. During her time as an undergraduate, she conducted two years of research on cardiovascular dynamics. Shortly after graduating, Zahin joined a healthcare intelligence company where she oversaw all aspects of conducting carrier screening for spinal muscular atrophy using multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification. This encompassed sample preparation, molecular genetic testing, and fragment analysis for thousands of samples per week. 

Ohnmar Thwin, MD

Research Scientist

Ohnmar Thwin was born in Yangon, Burma. She received her medical degree from the Institute of Medicine, Yangon, Burma, and her MPH degree from Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Ohnmar served as a senior health training officer for the nternational Rescue Committee providing chronic disease prevention education, as well as empowering and helping to rebuild the lives of refugees affected by violent conflict and disasters. 

Lemuel Rivera Fuentes, MD

Supervisor of Clinical Research

Lemuel joined RRI in February 2018. He obtained his MD from Universidad La Salle in Mexico City, where he was awarded the Excellency in Medical Academic Achievement Grant by the Pfizer Scientific Institute. He then proceeded to complete his internal medicine residency at the ABC Medical Center, and a postgraduate fellowship in nephrology at INCMNSZ in Mexico City. His interest in transplantation led him to attain a high-specialization postgraduate program in transplant nephrology sponsored by the National Autonomous University of Mexico.