Point of care coronavirus test revealed by Randox Biosciences
A point of care (POC) coronavirus test from global diagnostics company Randox Laboratories and technology manufacturer Bosch Healthcare Solutions will launch in April 2020.
The Vivalytic Viral Respiratory Tract Infection (VRI) array can identify SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and differentiate it from nine other respiratory infections with similar symptoms, including influenza and all known coronaviruses.
This provides a more comprehensive respiratory screening which enables precise and informed treatment decisions to be made.
Dr. Heather McMillan, Molecular R&D Manager at Randox Biosciences, commented, “This array focuses not only on the identification of the novel coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19, but also nine other respiratory infection targets simultaneously, including Influenza A and B, Sarbecovirus and MERS. The aim is to diagnose patients fast and accurately from a single genetic sample, maximizing containment of the virus whilst minimizing the spread. With the development of this array onto a fully automated platform, patients can be diagnosed rapidly at point of care locations globally such as pharmacies and doctor surgeries.”
The Viral Respiratory Tract Infection array is one of the world’s first multiplex molecular diagnostic tests meeting the COVID-19 testing recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The target gene for COVID-19 being used on the VRI array is ORF1ab, and for Sarbecovirus (SARS, SARS like, SARS-CoV-2) is E gene, representing conserved regions of the genome which have been chosen for their high sensitivity and specificity.
Marc Meier, Managing Director of Bosch Healthcare Solutions, a subsidiary of Bosch Group, said, “We are enthusiastic about partnering with Randox to offer their assay technology on the Vivalytic platform. The core competencies of Bosch in automation, miniaturization, sensor technology and connectivity are complemented by Randox’s expertise in developing excellent biocontent for a wide range of assays and commercializing innovative diagnostic solutions.”
The new VRI test will be conducted on Vivalytic a point of care platform brought to the market by Randox Laboratories and Bosch. The Vivalytic system is a fully automated, cartridge-based platform capable of both Hi-Plex and Lo-Plex testing. The cartridges are fully sealed which minimizes the risk of contamination, require room temperature storage (space-saving), contain all the reagents on-board the cartridge and utilizes end point PCR. The test only requires a single nasal swab from the patient and an easy four-step process to be carried out by the user to run the patient sample.
