Summary
ELITechGroup, acquired by Bruker in 2024, develops novel assays for clinical testing, focusing on molecular diagnostics for laboratory-developed tests and in vitro diagnostics. They offer a range of products, including instruments, consumables, and assays for various diseases, with a strong emphasis on transplant monitoring and respiratory infections. ELITechGroup provides support for assay development, validation, and troubleshooting, helping labs navigate the complexities of LDTs and IVDs.
Sponsored Roundtable
February 2026—This is the fourth in a series of one-on-one virtual roundtables in which CAP TODAY publisher Bob McGonnagle speaks with representatives of a company to spotlight its laboratory solutions. He spoke on Dec. 2, 2025 with Steve Swartzell and Scott Johnston of ELITechGroup. McGonnagle’s questions and their answers follow. A few of the questions came from the roundtable audience and are identified as such.
Steve, how long have you been with ELITech and what is your background in molecular diagnostics?
Steve Swartzell: I am director of customer experience and have been with ELITechGroup for 22 years. My background is in microbiology. I started as a research scientist in R&D and I was an application specialist working directly with customers. I have many years of lab experience as well. Now I oversee all the field activities for ELITechGroup MDx in the U.S.
Scott, introduce yourself and tell us about Bruker, which has acquired ELITech’s molecular diagnostics business.
Scott Johnston: I’m the general manager of ELITechGroup in Bothell, Washington. Bruker acquired ELITechGroup in 2024. Our goal here is to develop novel assays for use in the clinical testing environment, specifically for laboratory-developed tests and in vitro diagnostics.
Bruker is known for its microbiology detection systems and the MALDI in particular. Bruker’s goal is to provide a total solution for the laboratory, from identification to PCR applications. Our portion is molecular testing—qualitative and quantitative assays for the detection of specific disease states.
Tell us about ELITech.
Scott Johnston: ELITechGroup MDx started in the early 1990s as Epic Biosciences. Our goal was to develop novel diagnostic products for use as analyte-specific reagents for research use only or for in vitro diagnostic use. We also have a line of consumables and instrumentation for clinical testing. We have semifinished goods—dyes, quenchers, and probes that labs can use to develop their own assays.
We have two FDA-cleared IVD assays, for HSV 1 and 2 and MRSA, and the IVD-cleared InGenius instrument and its consumables. We also have ASRs focused on transplant monitoring and respiratory and other viral infections. On the RUO side, we offer transplant monitoring and respiratory, vector-borne, gastrointestinal, sexually transmitted, and other bacterial and viral infection assays.
Our BeGenius instrument is a medium-throughput system. It samples 72 results from 12 patients in a workday. It can run up to 24 samples in one run, inclusive of nucleic acid extractions. Our lower-throughput InGenius has 12 independent reactions. It’s good for medium to small labs that want to take testing in-house.
To assist with these assays, we provide training and support for pre- and post-installation of the instrument and for reagents, chemistry, validation, and troubleshooting. Our systems can handle anything from plasma to nasal swabs, lavages, sputums, and so on. We have a lot of flexibility.