TTUHSC to increase VTM capacity in response to Gov. Abbott’s request

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Governor Greg Abbott recently talked about increasing testing availability across the State of Texas and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center looks to play a crucial role in that plan. 

Gov. Abbott recognized TTUHSC as a producer of Viral Transport Medium (VTM), a critical component to expanding access to COVID-19 testing across the state.

VTM is a sterile tube with 1mL or 3mL of cell culture media that contains a broad-spectrum antibiotic and an antifungal agent

VTM is important to testing because it protects the virus samples obtained from nose or throat swabs. SARS-CoV2, the coronavirus causing COVID-19, can be unstable, so it is important the samples do not weaken in transport to diagnostic facilities.

A team from the TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy has made around 15,000 vials of VTM, and close to 9,0000 vials have been sent out to help COVID-19 testing across Texas.

The team is working to make another 12,000 to 16,000 vials this week to meet the high demand for testing. Meanwhile, they look to become a resource for health care communities across the state for education about on-site production of VTM.

“Our group produced a webinar on the production process that will be shared with other universities and labs around the state who may also be able to help,” Eric MacLaughlin, Pharm.D., chair of Pharmacy Practice, said.

Educating other healthcare communities on the production of VTM can help provide a healthy supply, that will further support Gov. Abbott’s testing goals, one of which is testing 30,000 people a day statewide in the coming term.

TTUHSC said that so far, at least 8,620 vials of VTM have been delivered to the following cities:

• Amarillo
• Brownfield
• Lubbock
• Snyder
• Levelland
• Denton
• Eden
• Brady
• Littlefield
• Tahoka
• Lamesa
• Odessa
• Muleshoe
• Pampa
• Hemphill
• Big Spring
• Seminole
• Friona
• Shamrock
• San Angelo
• Slaton
• Colorado City
• Abilene
• Dumas
• Hereford

TTUHSC started making VTM when Associate Professor of Pediatrics Todd Bell, M.D., partnered with MacLaughlin, Mikala Conatser, Pharm.D., assistant professor, and Ulrich Bickel, M.D., professor and associate dean of Sciences in the TTUHSC School of Pharmacy to find a solution to a local shortage of VTM.

According to TTUHSC, the vials of VTM produced have passed sterility testing, and on April 3, the state lab in Lubbock confirmed the quality by running positive controls with COVID-19 samples. 

MacLaughlin said the production of VTM has been a team effort and believes that production could be bolstered, saying, “From the onset, the VTM production has been a team effort between faculty in the Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy Practice and Pediatrics. I know of several private cleanrooms in Amarillo where additional VTM could be made. It’s certainly not as efficient as commercial manufacturers, but this process could be scaled up.”

There’s also a team from Texas Tech University School of Engineering, who started helping with the production of the vials. The team based in Lubbock has made 10,000 vials, and they are trying to make another 10,000 in the next 10 days.

(Information from MyHighPlains.com)