ELITech Group Distributes More Than 3.5 Million COVID-19 Tests and Installs Over 500 PCR Systems Globally

ELITechGroup Molecular Diagnostics (Puteaux, France) has distributed more than 3.5 million SARS-CoV-2 tests and also installed more than 500 ELITe InGenius polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems, globally, with over a 100 systems placed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ELITechGroup has been at the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe and has been supplying tests on its ELITe InGenius system since early March in Italy, and other affected countries, such as France, the UK, the Benelux and more. The ELITe InGenius system has been widely used in hospitals and other healthcare settings since 2016, and thanks to its reliability and easy adaptability, ELITechGroup was among the first companies to have SARS-CoV-2 tests on a sample-to-result system. The ELITe InGenius system allows laboratories to reliably detect SARS-CoV-2 in only a few hours, as well as conducting parallel testing for other diseases, such as flu, in order to ensure a correct diagnosis. The fully automated solution can process 12 samples in parallel to deliver results in less than 2.5 hours. This brings several benefits over centralized high-throughput testing approaches as there is no waiting for a large batch of samples to accumulate before testing, and no delays from sending samples off premises to a central laboratory.

By performing extraction, amplification and result interpretation in one device, the ELITe InGenius replaces the multiple devices needed to perform such tasks separately. Full automation also means there is no need for constant supervision, allowing laboratory staff to perform other valuable work. More importantly, the limited hands-on time helps reduce the risk of infection for users. The instrument is straightforward to use, with only minimal training from ELITechGroup's service and support team required. The ELITe InGenius offers the widest molecular diagnostics menu available on a sample-to-result system, with 38 CE-IVD assays dedicated to the individual needs of healthcare settings, be it immuno-compromised patient monitoring; detection of respiratory, gastro-intestinal, sexually transmitted or nosocomial infections; meningitis and encephalitis, as well as diagnostics of genetic factors.

"The continued rapid spread of the novel coronavirus makes it important for every country to test as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible," said ELITechGroup CEO, Christoph Gauer. "We are proud to have played an essential role in equipping healthcare staff with the testing tools they need. We have now expanded our manufacturing capacity to help provide additional ELITe InGenius systems to both new and existing hospitals and laboratories, globally and to support healthcare systems to prepare for the expectedly increasing demand for rapid and reliable diagnostics for all patients."