Omega Bio-tek Launches New Viral RNA Extraction Kit for COVID-19 Testing

Omega Bio-tek, Inc. (Norcross, GA, USA) has launched the Mag-Bind Viral RNA Xpress Kit for the rapid and reliable isolation of Viral RNA from nasopharyngeal (NP) swab specimens that are dry or in viral transport media (VTM).

The new kit aims to combat the shortage of RNA purification kits, which is used in the first steps of COVID-19 testing. The new magnetic bead-based extraction kit is adaptable to most liquid handling platforms for scalable, high-throughput purification. Protocols are available for the Hamilton Microlab STAR, Hamilton Microlab MagEx STARlet, Hamilton Microlab NIMBUS, Thermo KingFisher, Qiagen BioSprint, Applied Biosystems MagMax 96, and the Tecan DreamPrep NAP.


The Mag-Bind Viral RNA Xpress Kit allows scientists to increase their purification throughput by reducing the number of reagents and protocol steps while allowing for efficient recovery of viral nucleic acids with minimal inhibitor carryover. Viral RNA purified using the Mag-Bind Viral RNA Xpress Kit is suitable for common downstream applications such as RT-qPCR.

"With the new Mag-Bind Viral RNA Xpress Kit, we are able to deliver a robust and reliable extraction product and triple our production capacity to produce up to six million tests per month," said Travis Butts, Vice President of Omega Bio-tek. "We are proud that we can assist scientists, researchers, and healthcare workers around the world in accelerating the screening and detection of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, disease."