Thermo Fisher’s New High-Throughput, Automated System for Leading COVID-19 Test Granted FDA EUA
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 13 Apr 2021 |

Illustration
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, MA, USA) has been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Amplitude Solution with the TaqPath COVID-19 High-Throughput Combo Kit.
The Amplitude Solution is a molecular diagnostic testing system that helps clinical labs expand testing capacity by combining Thermo Fisher's extraction and real-time PCR instruments with liquid handling products from Tecan Group (Männedorf, Switzerland). The modular system utilizes a high-throughput version of Thermo Fisher's Applied Biosystems TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit, which received EUA in March 2020, to process samples in four steps with minimal hands-on time and laboratory space requirements. The kit's multi-gene target design and updated interpretive software may help labs detect SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The Amplitude Solution enables clinical and public health laboratories to scale gold standard PCR testing and process up to 8,000 samples in a single day with minimal staffing resources and a secured supply of kits, reagents and consumables to meet their testing needs. The Amplitude Solution has been implemented globally including labs in Europe and Japan.
"While COVID-19 cases globally may be decreasing in some areas as vaccines become more widely available, there continues to be a demand for frequent routine testing to control future outbreaks," said Mark Stevenson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "For population-wide testing programs, lab-based PCR is the best fitting technology, providing confidence in results, capacity to process thousands of samples a day, and consistent, reliable turnaround times. The Amplitude Solution can help support a systematic testing strategy by enabling labs to quickly scale their testing and begin processing high-volume samples, even with limited personnel."
Related Links:
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Tecan Group
The Amplitude Solution is a molecular diagnostic testing system that helps clinical labs expand testing capacity by combining Thermo Fisher's extraction and real-time PCR instruments with liquid handling products from Tecan Group (Männedorf, Switzerland). The modular system utilizes a high-throughput version of Thermo Fisher's Applied Biosystems TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit, which received EUA in March 2020, to process samples in four steps with minimal hands-on time and laboratory space requirements. The kit's multi-gene target design and updated interpretive software may help labs detect SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The Amplitude Solution enables clinical and public health laboratories to scale gold standard PCR testing and process up to 8,000 samples in a single day with minimal staffing resources and a secured supply of kits, reagents and consumables to meet their testing needs. The Amplitude Solution has been implemented globally including labs in Europe and Japan.
"While COVID-19 cases globally may be decreasing in some areas as vaccines become more widely available, there continues to be a demand for frequent routine testing to control future outbreaks," said Mark Stevenson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "For population-wide testing programs, lab-based PCR is the best fitting technology, providing confidence in results, capacity to process thousands of samples a day, and consistent, reliable turnaround times. The Amplitude Solution can help support a systematic testing strategy by enabling labs to quickly scale their testing and begin processing high-volume samples, even with limited personnel."
Related Links:
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Tecan Group
Latest COVID-19 News
- New Immunosensor Paves Way to Rapid POC Testing for COVID-19 and Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Long COVID Etiologies Found in Acute Infection Blood Samples
- Novel Device Detects COVID-19 Antibodies in Five Minutes
- CRISPR-Powered COVID-19 Test Detects SARS-CoV-2 in 30 Minutes Using Gene Scissors
- Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis Linked to COVID-19
- Novel SARS CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test Validated for Diagnostic Accuracy
- New COVID + Flu + R.S.V. Test to Help Prepare for `Tripledemic`
- AI Takes Guesswork Out Of Lateral Flow Testing
- Fastest Ever SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Designed for Non-Invasive COVID-19 Testing in Any Setting
- Rapid Antigen Tests Detect Omicron, Delta SARS-CoV-2 Variants
- Health Care Professionals Showed Increased Interest in POC Technologies During Pandemic, Finds Study
- Set Up Reserve Lab Capacity Now for Faster Response to Next Pandemic, Say Researchers
- Blood Test Performed During Initial Infection Predicts Long COVID Risk
- Low-Cost COVID-19 Testing Platform Combines Sensitivity of PCR and Speed of Antigen Tests
- Finger-Prick Blood Test Identifies Immunity to COVID-19
- Quick Test Kit Determines Immunity Against COVID-19 and Its Variants
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
New Reference Measurement Procedure Standardizes Nucleic Acid Amplification Test Results
Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) play a key role in diagnosing a wide range of infectious diseases. These tests are generally known for their high sensitivity and specificity, and they can be developed... Read more
Pen-Like Tool Quickly and Non-Invasively Detects Opioids from Skin
Opioid drugs such as fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone are the primary substances associated with overdose cases in the United States. Standard drug screening procedures typically involve collecting blood,... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
New Blood Test for Leukemia Risk Detection Could Replace Bone Marrow Sampling
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a condition typically associated with aging, where blood stem cells fail to develop into fully functional blood cells. Early and accurate diagnosis is vital, as MDS can... Read more
Blood Test Detects Preeclampsia Risk Months Before Symptoms Appear
Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related complication characterized by elevated blood pressure and organ dysfunction, remains a major contributor to maternal and infant health issues globally. Existing screening... Read moreHematology
view channel
Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results
Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more
First Point-of-Care Heparin Monitoring Test Provides Results in Under 15 Minutes
Heparin dosing requires careful management to avoid both bleeding and clotting complications. In high-risk situations like extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), mortality rates can reach about 50%,... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients
Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more
Liquid Biopsy Approach to Transform Diagnosis, Monitoring and Treatment of Lung Cancer
Lung cancer continues to be a major contributor to cancer-related deaths globally, with its biological complexity and diverse regulatory processes making diagnosis and treatment particularly difficult.... Read more
Computational Tool Exposes Hidden Cancer DNA Changes Influencing Treatment Resistance
Structural changes in tumor DNA are among the most damaging genetic alterations in cancer, yet they often go undetected, particularly when tissue samples are degraded or of low quality. These hidden genomic... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Credit Card-Sized Test Boosts TB Detection in HIV Hotspots
Current tuberculosis (TB) tests face major limitations when it comes to accurately diagnosing the infection in individuals living with HIV. HIV, a frequent co-infection with TB, complicates detection by... Read more
Fecal Metabolite Profiling Predicts Mortality in Critically Ill Patients
Critically ill patients in medical intensive care units (MICUs) often suffer from conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or sepsis, which are linked to reduced diversity of gut microbiota... Read more
Portable Molecular POC System Rules Out UTIs in Just 35 Minutes
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) represent a massive burden on patients and healthcare systems. There are over 400 million UTI cases globally each year, of which around 90% are in women. Fast and accurate... Read more
POC Lateral Flow Test Detects Deadly Fungal Infection Faster Than Existing Techniques
Diagnosing mucormycosis—an aggressive and often deadly fungal infection—remains a major challenge due to the disease’s rapid progression and the lack of fast, accurate diagnostic tools. The problem became... Read morePathology
view channel
Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response
Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Clinical AI Solution for Automatic Breast Cancer Grading Improves Diagnostic Accuracy
Labs that use traditional image analysis methods often suffer from bottlenecks and delays. By digitizing their pathology practices, labs can streamline their work, allowing them to take on larger caseloads... Read more
Saliva-Based Testing to Enable Early Detection of Cancer, Heart Disease or Parkinson’s
Saliva is one of the most accessible biological fluids, yet it remains underutilized in clinical practice. While saliva samples are used to perform genetic tests to determine, for example, paternity, the... Read moreTechnology
view channel
New POC Biosensing Technology Improves Detection of Molecular Biomarkers
Traditional diagnostic procedures in medicine typically involve sending a patient’s blood or tissue samples to clinical laboratories, where trained scientists perform testing and data interpretation.... Read more
Enhanced Lab Data Management and AI Critical to Labs of the Future, Finds Survey
Data plays a key role in the transformation of today’s digital laboratories, acting both as a key challenge and a catalyst for innovation, as revealed by a survey of over 150 scientists.... Read moreIndustry
view channel
AMP Releases Best Practice Recommendations to Guide Clinical Laboratories Offering HRD Testing
Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) testing identifies tumors that are unable to effectively repair DNA damage through the homologous recombination repair pathway. This deficiency is often linked... Read more