LabMedica

Download Mobile App
Recent News Expo Clinical Chem. Molecular Diagnostics Hematology Immunology Microbiology Pathology Technology Industry Focus

Two Viral Blood Screening Assays Get FDA Clearance

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 11 Jul 2018
Image: The Procleix Panther system, a fully integrated and automated nucleic acid technology system for blood and plasma screening (Photo courtesy of Grifols Diagnostics).
Image: The Procleix Panther system, a fully integrated and automated nucleic acid technology system for blood and plasma screening (Photo courtesy of Grifols Diagnostics).
Hello,

A global producer of plasma-derived medicines and a developer of diagnostic solutions announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA, Silver Springs, MD, USA) for two blood screening assays.

One assay that allows for increased blood safety by screening and delivering simultaneous results for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) as well as detecting HIV type 2 (HIV-2). The Procleix Ultrio Elite assay can be used to test pools of plasma composed of up to 96 individual donations from donors of source plasma. Procleix WNV assay is a highly sensitive, qualitative in vitro nucleic acid assay for the detection of West Nile virus RNA in plasma and serum of human blood donors.

Both assays will run on the fully automated nucleic acid testing (NAT) blood screening platform Grifols’ Procleix Panther system. The device is an integrated nucleic acid testing system that fully automates all necessary steps to perform Procleix assays, from sample processing through amplification, detection, and data reduction. The Procleix Panther system was created to be a fully automated sample-to-result instrument that eliminates the need for batch processing. Grifols will begin commercializing the Procleix Ultrio Elite and Procleix WNV assays in the USA later this year.

The system received CE marking and launched in Europe in 2012 and in 2016, the FDA allowed blood centers to use the Grifols’ Procleix Zika virus assay with the Procleix Panther system under an Investigational New Drug (IND) study protocol to screen donated blood nationwide. The firm has since launched an IND Babesia screening test on the platform.

Carsten Schroeder, BA, MBA, the president of Grifols' diagnostic division, said, “The addition of the Procleix Panther system with these assays will allow blood centers to efficiently screen for infectious diseases on one simple, automated platform while adapting to changes in donation volume and regulatory requirements.”

Related Links:
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Gold Member
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Test
OSOM® RSV Test
POC Helicobacter Pylori Test Kit
Hepy Urease Test
Human Estradiol Assay
Human Estradiol CLIA Kit
8-Channel Pipette
SAPPHIRE 20–300 µL

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The diagnostic device can tell how deadly brain tumors respond to treatment from a simple blood test (Photo courtesy of UQ)

Diagnostic Device Predicts Treatment Response for Brain Tumors Via Blood Test

Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer, largely because doctors have no reliable way to determine whether treatments are working in real time. Assessing therapeutic response currently... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: Circulating tumor cells isolated from blood samples could help guide immunotherapy decisions (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Identifies Lung Cancer Patients Who Can Benefit from Immunotherapy Drug

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options, and even newly approved immunotherapies do not benefit all patients. While immunotherapy can extend survival for some,... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: New evidence suggests that imbalances in the gut microbiome may contribute to the onset and progression of MCI and Alzheimer’s disease (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Comprehensive Review Identifies Gut Microbiome Signatures Associated With Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 6.7 million people in the United States and nearly 50 million worldwide, yet early cognitive decline remains difficult to characterize. Increasing evidence suggests... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Vitestro has shared a detailed visual explanation of its Autonomous Robotic Phlebotomy Device (photo courtesy of Vitestro)

Robotic Technology Unveiled for Automated Diagnostic Blood Draws

Routine diagnostic blood collection is a high‑volume task that can strain staffing and introduce human‑dependent variability, with downstream implications for sample quality and patient experience.... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: Roche’s cobas® Mass Spec solution enables fully automated mass spectrometry in routine clinical laboratories (Photo courtesy of Roche)

New Collaboration Brings Automated Mass Spectrometry to Routine Laboratory Testing

Mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical technique that identifies and quantifies molecules based on their mass and electrical charge. Its high selectivity, sensitivity, and accuracy make it indispensable... Read more