Bioneer Launches World's First Precision Auxiliary Device for Sample Loading

Bioneer Corporation (Daejeon, Korea) has launched a new concept auxiliary device, AccuLoader, designed to assist with the dispensation of samples and reagents to the correct wells and reduce the time spent on the sample preparation.

AccuLoader is the world’s first patented precision auxiliary device developed by Bioneer and can be applied to various molecular diagnostic tests, including COVID-19 tests. The device has a variety of functions ranging from scanning the information on a sample tube to automatically adjusting the position of the well for correct sample dispensation. It is also equipped with parts that aid in minimizing the chances of cross-contamination. Moreover, its dedicated mobile app, the AccuLoader, allows for managing and merging of all sample information collected from the same run.

Molecular diagnosis of COVID-19 is primarily composed of three main steps: sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, and nucleic acid amplification. Generally, a molecular diagnostic test begins with the first step of loading the samples into the correct wells with accuracy. These samples, which are collected from the patient, must be loaded into the plate of the nucleic acid extractor. During this process, small, microscopic splashes of samples with the target pathogen could enter the adjacent wells or the samples may get loaded into a wrong well by mistake, possibly resulting in cross-contamination and false-positive errors. Consequently, dealing with a large number of samples would require a great deal of skill and concentration – in other words, the testing personnel experience a long preparation time and fatigue.

AccuLoader allows users to load the samples into the correct wells and blocks the splashes from entering the well, in order to ultimately prevent the obtaining of false-positive or false-negative results caused by cross-contamination or human errors. In addition, AccuLoader demonstrates an excellent performance in the COVID-19 pool test. By using the pooling setting in the mobile app, samples can be quickly loaded into the correct wells irrespective of the user's expertise. All sample data will be automatically organized within the app to help users easily track and manage the pooled sample information.

“In times like today, where it is difficult to foster in a short period of time the experts of molecular diagnostics to accommodate the ever-increasing demand for mass testing for COVID-19, our AccuLoader will become an essential device for the molecular diagnostics field,” stated a source from Bioneer Corporation.