OnsiteGene Unveils Handheld 10-Minute Real-Time PCR System

OnsiteGene (Los Altos, CA, USA) is unveiling myNAT, a handheld, battery-powered real-time PCR instrument, at ADLM 2026. Visitors to booth 2168 can see the new platform alongside the company’s Xlyser sample-preparation device and XDive real-time PCR system.

Designed for clinics, field environments, and other decentralized testing settings, myNAT performs a complete 40-cycle quantitative PCR run in under 10 minutes. The instrument weighs approximately 350 grams and miniaturizes the superfast PCR engine used in OnsiteGene’s existing XDive platform into a device roughly the size of a fist.

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The platform is intended to reduce the cost, size, and infrastructure requirements that have traditionally limited molecular testing to centralized laboratories. OnsiteGene is targeting an instrument price below USD 1,000 and a per-test cost of less than USD 5, including reagents, to make real-time PCR more accessible in settings where conventional laboratory systems may not be economically practical.

myNAT incorporates six optical channels and melting-curve analysis, enabling amplification confirmation and differentiation among multiple targets within a single channel. One touchpad terminal can coordinate as many as eight instruments in parallel, allowing users to process eight samples within the same 10-minute period or scale testing across broader panels.

The instrument operates as an open platform, allowing laboratories and diagnostic developers to transfer their own real-time PCR assays to the system. This flexibility is intended to support a range of molecular research and assay-development applications without restricting users to a closed test menu.

For sample preparation, myNAT can be paired with Xlyser, OnsiteGene’s handheld ultrasound lysis device. Xlyser converts a raw specimen into PCR-ready material in approximately one minute without requiring centrifugation and provides full pathogen inactivation. Together, the two devices create a sample-to-answer workflow of roughly 12 minutes that requires neither conventional laboratory infrastructure nor a cold chain.

OnsiteGene is also showcasing its commercially available XDive real-time PCR system, which completes a 40-cycle quantitative PCR run in approximately five minutes. The company develops rapid molecular diagnostic instruments and reagents and operates under an ISO 13485-certified quality system.

myNAT remains in development, with instruments expected to become available for third-party validation at the end of September 2026. The platform is currently designated for research use only and has not been cleared or approved for diagnostic use.