New Instruments Automate PCR Diagnostic Applications

Two new diagnostic instruments, which recently have been certified for marketing in Europe (CE marked), will bring an unprecedented level of automation and efficiency to laboratories that process large and very large numbers of specimens on a daily basis.

The Roche Molecular Diagnostics (Pleasanton, CA, USA) Cobas 6800/8800 system has automated PCR technology for virology, blood screening, HPV (human papillomavirus and CT/NG (Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhea) testing. The system comes in two models—large (6800) and very-large (8800) throughput capacity—and was developed to deliver increased automation and throughput, with minimal user intervention and improved quality control.


The instruments are equipped with an onboard refrigerator to allow for significantly longer reagent storage capacity and less loading and unloading of reagents. The instrument design provides greater ergonomics in terms of the user-instrument interface, reducing the number of required user interactions. Once the instrument is loaded, the system can run continuously for eight or four hours for the Cobas 6800 and Cobas 8800 system, respectively. This translates into a throughput of 300 and 1000 results in eight hours, respectively. Once the instrument begins processing samples, the first 96 results can be reported within three-and-a-quarter hours. Thereafter, the Cobas 6800 and 8800 instruments provide up to 96 results every 90 or 30 minutes, respectively.

This level of efficiency was obtained by completely automating the processing of primary and secondary tubes all the way through to the patient sample result for any combination of three different tests at the same time. This parallel sample to result process is accomplished using a universal sample preparation, PCR profile, and reagent setup process.

During the first six months of the systems' CE launch, several assays will be available for virology labs (HIV, HCV, HBV, and CMV) and for blood screening labs (combined HIV/HCV/HBV, WNV, and combined Parvovirus B19/HAV). In the near future, the system will support additional assays including HPV, CT/NG, and a utility channel for user-defined applications.

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Roche Molecular Diagnostics