Randox offers test for COVID-19 and nine other viruses
March 2020—Randox has made available a test for the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus.
Developed on Randox’s biochip technology, the test is an enhanced multiplex array that includes tests for COVID-19 and nine other respiratory viruses that can manifest the same symptoms. The new biochip makes it possible for clinicians to differentiate potentially lethal and non-lethal infections, Randox said.
“Current technologies for the diagnosis of coronavirus are designed simply to detect the presence or lack of COVID-19, and therefore neglect to differentiate between this strain and other respiratory infections,” Peter FitzGerald, managing director of Randox Laboratories, said in a Feb. 18 statement.
He added: “We have therefore developed an extended Viral Respiratory Infection Array that tests simultaneously for COVID-19 and nine other viruses. This will eliminate the need for multiple back-and-forth tests before the root cause of symptoms is found, and empower clinicians to make fast and informed decisions.”
The test is available on the Randox Evidence Investigator with a turnaround time of five hours, the company said.
The biochip tests simultaneously, from one patient sample, for the following viruses: COVID-19, coronavirus 229E/NL63, coronavirus OC43/HKUI, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, pan-coronavirus (SARS, SARS like, COVID-19), adenovirus A/B/C/D/E, enterovirus A/B/C, influenza A and B, and rhinovirus A/B.
EmPath Smart Camera makes debut at USCAP
Singularity.ai, a new company delivering integrated workflow solutions for physicians, released its first product, the EmPath Smart Camera, an AI-enabled box-top for a microscope to provide end-to-end support to aid pathologists with such tasks as cell counting and grading.
EmPath features a high-resolution smart camera that plugs into the pathologist’s existing microscopes. EmPath communicates automatically with cloud-based software to provide simultaneous AI-powered data analysis, as well as full case management and reporting tools.
EmPath made its debut during the USCAP meeting and will begin shipping in March.
Singularity.ai was founded with the mission to deliver innovative solutions that allow physicians to maintain control while advancing patient care. It is based in Silicon Valley with the backing of technology investors including Oriza Ventures, Joyance Partners, and Wisemont Capital.
Hologic launches scalable options for Panther
New product offerings within the Hologic Panther Scalable Solutions portfolio are available now in the U.S. and Europe. The new optional configurations will make it possible for laboratories to scale their instrumentation.
The new configurations include Panther Plus, which adds flexibility, capacity, and throughput to the existing Panther system. With Panther Plus, laboratories can load more consumables directly on the instrument, allowing greater walkaway time (up to 13.5 consecutive hours). Fluids and waste can be changed while tests are in process, and an option for automatic liquid waste disposal is available. These features make it possible for an additional 210 tests to be run in 24 hours, providing a total throughput of more than 1,200 patient samples in that time.
Panther Link is a software solution that provides additional efficiencies by creating a virtual connection that allows multiple Panther instruments to communicate with one another and function within a singular, streamlined workflow. Linked instruments can share information such as reagent kits and reflex test orders. A dashboard command feature allows technicians to monitor instrument inventories, maintenance tasks, and test results on a single screen from a centralized location.
Roche provides Tecentriq study update for MIUC
Roche reported that the phase three IMvigor010 study evaluating Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as an adjuvant monotherapy treatment did not meet its primary endpoint of disease-free survival compared with observation in people with muscle-invasive urothelial cancer.
“Reducing the risk that muscle-invasive urothelial cancer will recur after surgery is very difficult, and we are disappointed that we were not able to significantly prolong disease-free survival,” Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and head of global product development, said in a Jan. 24 statement. “We remain committed to exploring the potential benefits of immunotherapy for more people with early cancers.”
Tecentriq is approved, alone or in combination with targeted therapies and/or chemotherapies, in various forms of non-small cell and small cell lung cancer, certain types of metastatic urothelial cancer, and PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
EDX respiratory panel control now available
Exact Diagnostics, which Bio-Rad acquired in 2019, launched EDX RP Positive Run Control, an unassayed external quality control intended to monitor the performance of clinical respiratory assays.
The control contains 22 respiratory analytes that are internally value-assigned using Bio-Rad’s Digital Droplet PCR technology. The multiplex control is a combination of whole, intact virus and bacteria samples that have been heated or chemically inactivated, as well as synthetic RNA transcripts. It is designed to test the entire process of a molecular assay, including extraction, detection, and amplification, and it targets the 22 analytes in a single vial.