Could Open-Access Diagnostics Speed Diagnoses?

Today’s molecular diagnostics testing typically involves either manual processing at a reference laboratory or automated processing by preconfigured instruments in near-patient settings, Dr. Jack Regan, CEO and founder of LexaGene, tells MD+DI. Neither approach would be ideal for detecting a highly infectious novel pathogen, he warned. The inability to rapidly configure a near-patient instrument to identify a newly emergent pathogen could result in delayed detection and increase the risk of the disease spreading. Some healthcare experts fear that such delays could lead to a pandemic that could claim thousands of lives. Regan believes an open-access analyzer could help clinicians rapidly identify deadly novel pathogens. To that end, his company has developed new open-access technology that can be rapidly configured to detect newly emergent pathogens. This technology is also capable of screening samples for up to 22 pathogens at once, delivering results in about 1 hour, the company reported. The open-access feature allows users to load their own PCR assays onto the instrument for any genetic target of interest. “LexaGene will sell three types of reagent panels—ones that are fully validated so customers will have high confidence in performance, others that are for open-access use and accordingly only contain the controls, and the third type being a blend of the first two,” Regan said. â ...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: IVD Source Type: news