Ebola Virus Triage Test Granted Emergency Use Authorization
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 14 Jun 2016 |

Image: The Idylla fully automated, real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) based molecular diagnostics system (Photo courtesy of Biocartis).
The 2014 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa was the largest outbreak since its discovery 40 years ago and with over 11,000 deaths reported and affecting multiple countries, that outbreak demonstrated a clear need for improved infectious disease surveillance and management.
Today, further preparation is needed, as specialists expect sporadic Ebola virus outbreaks to continue in the future. A molecular diagnostic test for the Ebola Zaire virus has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Silver Springs, MD, USA) and may be used to detect Ebola Zaire virus in patients with signs and symptoms of Ebola virus disease.
The Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test (Biocartis, Mechelen, Belgium) is a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT–PCR) test intended for the qualitative detection of ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the Ebola Zaire virus that was detected in the West Africa outbreak in 2014, in Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) venous whole blood from individuals with signs and symptoms of Ebola virus infection in conjunction with epidemiological risk factors. The test, which delivers results within 100 minutes on a single cartridge, runs on the Biocartis Idylla platform, a fully automated, sample-to-result, real-time RT-PCR system, which allows for rapid deployment in both developed and emerging market countries.
The Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test sample manipulation is reduced to a single step, i.e. entering the blood sample into the Idylla cartridge, after which the cartridge becomes a hermetically closed container. This reduces the risk of exposure to the Ebola virus for healthcare workers. Furthermore, the Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test requires only minimal training of healthcare professionals and can be transported and stored at ambient temperature conditions, which enables rapid global deployment during outbreaks. Due to the difficulty in obtaining clinical specimens positive for Ebola, the Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test was evaluated with limited numbers of contrived specimens spiked with live Ebola Zaire virus RNA.
Rudi Pauwels, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Biocartis, said, “The 2014 Ebola and more recently the Zika outbreak, demonstrates that in today’s global world we need rapid, highly accurate and easily deployable diagnostic systems. The Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test is the first infectious disease outbreak test authorized by the FDA on our Idylla platform, which is perfectly suited for outbreak control through early and fast testing. The test allows healthcare professionals in the field to rapidly diagnose infection, implement control measures and as such, open doors to faster and better treatment decisions.”
Related Links:
US Food and Drug Administration
Biocartis
Today, further preparation is needed, as specialists expect sporadic Ebola virus outbreaks to continue in the future. A molecular diagnostic test for the Ebola Zaire virus has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Silver Springs, MD, USA) and may be used to detect Ebola Zaire virus in patients with signs and symptoms of Ebola virus disease.
The Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test (Biocartis, Mechelen, Belgium) is a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT–PCR) test intended for the qualitative detection of ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the Ebola Zaire virus that was detected in the West Africa outbreak in 2014, in Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) venous whole blood from individuals with signs and symptoms of Ebola virus infection in conjunction with epidemiological risk factors. The test, which delivers results within 100 minutes on a single cartridge, runs on the Biocartis Idylla platform, a fully automated, sample-to-result, real-time RT-PCR system, which allows for rapid deployment in both developed and emerging market countries.
The Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test sample manipulation is reduced to a single step, i.e. entering the blood sample into the Idylla cartridge, after which the cartridge becomes a hermetically closed container. This reduces the risk of exposure to the Ebola virus for healthcare workers. Furthermore, the Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test requires only minimal training of healthcare professionals and can be transported and stored at ambient temperature conditions, which enables rapid global deployment during outbreaks. Due to the difficulty in obtaining clinical specimens positive for Ebola, the Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test was evaluated with limited numbers of contrived specimens spiked with live Ebola Zaire virus RNA.
Rudi Pauwels, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Biocartis, said, “The 2014 Ebola and more recently the Zika outbreak, demonstrates that in today’s global world we need rapid, highly accurate and easily deployable diagnostic systems. The Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test is the first infectious disease outbreak test authorized by the FDA on our Idylla platform, which is perfectly suited for outbreak control through early and fast testing. The test allows healthcare professionals in the field to rapidly diagnose infection, implement control measures and as such, open doors to faster and better treatment decisions.”
Related Links:
US Food and Drug Administration
Biocartis
Latest Microbiology News
- RNA-Based Workflow Identifies Active Skin Microbes for Dermatology Research
- Cost-Effective Sampling and Sequencing Workflow Identifies ICU Infection Hotspots
- New Bacterial Target Identified for Early Detection of Noma
- Genomic Analysis Links Emerging Streptococcal Strains to Specific Infections
- Rapid Urine Test Speeds Antibiotic Selection for UTIs
- WHO Endorses Rapid Point-of-Care Testing to Improve TB Detection
- Breath Analysis Approach Offers Rapid Detection of Bacterial Infection
- Study Highlights Accuracy Gaps in Consumer Gut Microbiome Kits
- WHO Recommends Near POC Tests, Tongue Swabs and Sputum Pooling for TB Diagnosis
- New Imaging Approach Could Help Predict Dangerous Gut Infection
- Rapid Sequencing Could Transform Tuberculosis Care
- Blood-Based Viral Signature Identified in Crohn’s Disease
- Hidden Gut Viruses Linked to Colorectal Cancer Risk
- Three-Test Panel Launched for Detection of Liver Fluke Infections
- Rapid Test Promises Faster Answers for Drug-Resistant Infections
- CRISPR-Based Technology Neutralizes Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
AI-Enabled POC Test Quantifies Multiple Cardiac Biomarkers
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death, responsible for nearly 20 million deaths each year. Timely triage of myocardial infarction and heart failure hinges on rapid cardiac biomarker measurement,... Read moreNext Generation Automated Analyzers Increase Throughput for Clinical Chemistry and Electrolyte Testing
Clinical laboratories continue to face staffing shortages, limited space, and growing test volumes that pressure chemistry and electrolyte workflows. Maintaining rapid turnaround times increasingly depends... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
New Gene Signature Reveals Underdiagnosed Lung Cancer Subtype
Combined small-cell lung cancer (cSCLC) is a rare lung malignancy in which tumors display both small-cell and non-small-cell features. These mixed tumors are commonly managed as standard small-cell disease... Read more
Genome Sequencing Identifies Noncoding Variants Causing Neonatal Diabetes
Neonatal diabetes is a rare form of diabetes that presents in the first six months of life and is driven by genetic changes, yet many affected families still lack definitive diagnoses. Genetic studies... Read moreHematology
view channel
Prognostic Tool Guides Personalized Treatment in Rare Blood Cancer
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a rare blood cancer in which acquired genetic mutations in bone marrow stem cells drive disease. Stem cell transplantation is the only curative option but carries... Read more
New Platelet Function Assay Enables Monitoring of Antiplatelet Therapy
Monitoring response to antiplatelet therapy remains challenging for many clinical laboratories. Aggregation-based assays and cartridge systems often require specialized personnel, dedicated instruments,... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Study Finds Influenza Often Undiagnosed in Winter Deaths
Seasonal influenza drives substantial excess mortality, yet its contribution is often obscured when infections go undiagnosed near the time of death. Many deaths occur outside hospitals or in older adults... Read moreCombined Screening Approach Identifies Early Leprosy Cases
Leprosy remains a significant public health concern, with more than 200,000 new cases reported globally each year and early disease often escaping routine laboratory detection. In its initial phase, bacterial... Read morePathology
view channelAI Improves Completeness of Complex Cancer Pathology Reports
Oncology teams increasingly rely on pathology reports that integrate histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and rapidly expanding biomarker testing. As patients live longer and undergo repeated analyses... Read more
AI Tool Predicts Chemotherapy Response in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Small cell lung cancer often presents at an extensive stage and progresses rapidly, leaving little time to tailor first-line therapy. Clinicians currently lack biomarkers to guide which patients will benefit... Read more
Tumor-Specific Biomarker Predicts Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Response in Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with China bearing nearly half of the global burden. Only a subset of patients benefit from... Read moreTechnology
view channel
Noninvasive Sputum Test Detects Early Lung Cancer
Early detection remains critical for improving outcomes in lung cancer, yet clinicians increasingly encounter indeterminate pulmonary nodules found incidentally or through screening, complicating decision-making.... Read more
New AI Tool Enables Rapid Treatment Selection in Pediatric Leukemia
Children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia face an aggressive disease that remains difficult to treat. Although remission rates have improved, many survivors experience long-term effects from intensive... Read more
Breakthrough Mass Spectrometry Design Could Enable Ultra-Low Abundance Detection
Mass spectrometry is central to identifying and quantifying molecules in complex biological samples, but conventional instruments typically analyze ions sequentially, which can limit detection of rare species.... Read moreIndustry
view channel







