New Analytical Systems to Ease Molecular Diagnostic Burden

Two advanced molecular diagnostic systems were introduced at a recent pan-European scientific conference.

The diagnostics equipment manufacturer Mobidiag Ltd. (Espoo, Finland) introduced its two new diagnostic platforms—Novodiag and Amplidiag Easy—at the April 2015 ECCMID (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease) conference held in Copenhagen (Denmark).

The innovative Novodiag platform is a fully integrated and automated system, enabling accessible and affordable molecular testing. It combines advanced features, ease of use, and affordability and requires no dedicated molecular testing expertise. Test cartridges under development for Novodiag include: gastrointestinal infections, hospital-acquired infections, respiratory tract infections, bloodstream infections, central nervous system infections, skin and soft tissue infections, and antibiotic resistance. It is expected that the Novodiag platform will be ready for full commercial launch in mid-2016.

The Amplidiag Easy system was designed to automate high-throughput gastrointestinal testing with Amplidiag test kits, including the recently CE-marked Amplidiag Bacterial GE and Amplidiag C. difficile+027. The system performs batch nucleic acid extraction and qPCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) plate setup from stool samples. Optimized for use with the Amplidiag test kits, the Amplidiag Analyzer software for automatic result analysis provides ease of use and reliability in high-throughput molecular testing.

“Although molecular diagnostics has been around for a long time, the market has not seen solutions which leverage its full potential,” said Tuomas Tenkanen, CEO of Mobidiag, Ltd. “Until now, major limitations have been complexity of use, the ability to detect only a very limited amount of pathogens, or simply too high a price. We aim to solve these issues with our Novodiag system by combining high multiplexing capacity with a simplified, easy-to-use design. The system and its benefits will be accessible to a broader group of diagnostic laboratories, both centralized and decentralized. Due to its simplified design, it represents industry-leading value, setting a new benchmark for affordability and functionality.”

“We value the feedback of our customers, and it is clear that in many high-throughput laboratories, automated systems are not only appreciated for reducing the burden of tight resources, but the only way of working,” said Mr. Tenkanen. “That is why we created Amplidiag Easy specifically to meet this need, combining automation with speed and reliability. For example, the system can process a batch of 48 C. difficile samples in one hour, from a liquid stool sample transfer vial ending up in a ready set-up PCR plate to be transferred to a qPCR instrument. In an optimized workflow, the results are available for a large batch of samples in two hours from sample to result. The best thing is that the high speed does not compromise performance at all.”

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