diff --git a/src/intersections.rs b/src/intersections.rs
index 8963337..77e1246 100644
--- a/src/intersections.rs
+++ b/src/intersections.rs
@@ -140,47 +140,11 @@ impl Intersections {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::intersection::Intersection;
     use crate::interval::Interval;
-    use std::sync::Arc;
-
-    fn make_intersections(a: Interval, bs: Vec<Interval>) -> Intersections {
-        let base = Position::Interval(a);
-        let overlapping = bs
-            .into_iter()
-            .enumerate()
-            .map(|(i, b)| Intersection {
-                interval: Arc::new(Position::Interval(b.dup())),
-                id: i as u32,
-            })
-            .collect();
-        Intersections {
-            base_interval: Arc::new(base),
-            overlapping,
-        }
-    }
+    use crate::tests::parse_intersections::parse_intersections;
 
     fn make_example() -> Intersections {
-        // make a single Intersections
-        let base = Interval {
-            chrom: String::from("chr1"),
-            start: 1,
-            stop: 10,
-            fields: Default::default(),
-        };
-        let o1 = Interval {
-            chrom: String::from("chr1"),
-            start: 3,
-            stop: 6,
-            fields: Default::default(),
-        };
-        let o2 = Interval {
-            chrom: String::from("chr1"),
-            start: 8,
-            stop: 12,
-            fields: Default::default(),
-        };
-        make_intersections(base, vec![o1, o2])
+        parse_intersections("a: 1-10\nb: 3-6, 8-12")
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index cbcb882..68f69bc 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -26,3 +26,5 @@ pub mod bedder_bed;
 #[cfg(feature = "vcf")]
 /// Vcf parser implementing the PositionedIterator trait.
 pub mod bedder_vcf;
+
+mod tests;
diff --git a/src/tests/mod.rs b/src/tests/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1431bb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub mod parse_intersections;
diff --git a/src/tests/parse_intersections.rs b/src/tests/parse_intersections.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8feb90a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/parse_intersections.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+use crate::intersection::{Intersection, Intersections};
+use crate::interval::Interval;
+use crate::position::Position;
+use crate::string::String;
+use linear_map::LinearMap;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub(crate) fn parse_intersections(input: &str) -> Intersections {
+    let mut intersections = Vec::new();
+    let mut base_interval = None;
+
+    for line in input.lines() {
+        let line = line.trim();
+
+        if line.is_empty() {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        let mut parts = line.split(':');
+        let mut id = 0;
+
+        if let (Some(name), Some(ranges)) = (parts.next(), parts.next()) {
+            let name = name.trim();
+            id += 1;
+
+            let ranges: Vec<(u64, u64)> = ranges
+                .split(',')
+                .map(|range| {
+                    let range = range.trim();
+                    let mut range_parts = range.split('-');
+
+                    if let (Some(start), Some(end)) = (range_parts.next(), range_parts.next()) {
+                        if let (Ok(start), Ok(end)) = (start.parse(), end.parse()) {
+                            return (start, end);
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    panic!("Invalid range format: {}", range);
+                })
+                .collect();
+
+            if name == "a" {
+                assert_eq!(ranges.len(), 1);
+                let interval = Interval {
+                    chrom: String::from("chr1"),
+                    start: ranges[0].0,
+                    stop: ranges[0].1,
+                    fields: LinearMap::new(),
+                };
+                base_interval = Some(interval);
+            } else {
+                for se in ranges {
+                    let interval = Interval {
+                        chrom: String::from("chr1"),
+                        start: se.0,
+                        stop: se.1,
+                        fields: LinearMap::new(),
+                    };
+
+                    intersections.push(Intersection {
+                        interval: Arc::new(Position::Interval(interval)),
+                        id: id,
+                    });
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    let base_interval = base_interval.expect("No base interval found");
+
+    Intersections {
+        base_interval: Arc::new(Position::Interval(base_interval)),
+        overlapping: intersections,
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn test_parse() {
+    let input = "a: 1-10\nb: 3-6, 8-12";
+    let intersections = parse_intersections(input);
+
+    // Access the generated Intersections struct
+    assert_eq!(intersections.base_interval.start(), 1);
+    assert_eq!(intersections.base_interval.stop(), 10);
+    eprintln!("{:?}", intersections.overlapping);
+    assert_eq!(intersections.overlapping.len(), 2);
+    assert_eq!(intersections.overlapping[0].interval.start(), 3);
+    assert_eq!(intersections.overlapping[0].interval.stop(), 6);
+    assert_eq!(intersections.overlapping[1].interval.start(), 8);
+    assert_eq!(intersections.overlapping[1].interval.stop(), 12);
+}