Therapy Areas: Infectious Diseases
Bruker Launches CE-IVD Quantitative Coronavirus Mid-Plex PCR Assay with Mutation Detection for Routine Variant Differentiation
7 June 2021 - - Germany-based scientific instruments and analytical and diagnostic solutions provide rBruker Corp. (NASDAQ: BRKR) has launched the FluoroType SARS-CoV-2 varID Q assay a quantitative LiquidArray mid-plex PCR panel, the company said.

This novel assay panel also detects several important mutations to enable laboratories and hospitals to differentiate many major viral variants routinely on all positive samples.

The very sensitive FluoroType SARS-CoV-2 varID Q diagnostic test detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus using three independent gene targets for high assay robustness, even in case of future additional mutations. The assay achieved a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 100% during its clinical performance evaluation study.

The CE-IVD marked FluoroType SARS-CoV-2 varID Q assay simultaneously detects and differentiates four major virus mutations.

Their combinations determine multiple major variants, such as the original Wuhan strain, as well as variants that have emerged in the UK (B.1.1.7), in Nigeria (B.1.525), in South Africa (B.1.351), in Brazil, and in Denmark (B.1.1.298). While this test does not differentiate the new Indian strains (e.g., B.1.617), they are reported reliably as SARS-CoV-2.

Moreover, the FluoroType SARS-CoV-2 varID Q assay now also offers quantification of the viral load in the sample in standardized International Units per milliliter (IU/ml), in accordance with WHO standards.

Quantitative PCR results may provide insights into whether the COVID patient is likely to be infectious, or whether she/he may already be in a later COVID stage with low viral loads.

Sensitive and robust detection, mutation differentiation and quantification of viral load are all done simultaneously in a single PCR tube and a single assay run. This permits efficient laboratory workflows without the need for a second PCR test, or for RNA sequencing for strain detection.

As major variants can be differentiated in all positive samples, this novel test strategy provides improved statistics for epidemiology with shorter (overnight) time-to-result and lower costs than NGS, which typically can be done only on a fraction of positive samples with much longer TTRs.

The novel FluoroType SARS-CoV-2 varID Q mid-plex assay is enabled by Bruker´s proprietary LiquidArray assay format, which supports a higher degree of PCR multiplexing on Bruker´s high-performance Fluorocycler XT system. 

The assay is validated for nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs, and for automation of nucleic acid extraction and PCR setup it is validated on Bruker's new CE-IVD marked GenoXtract fleXT system for 96 samples.

Bruker-Hain Diagnostics is focused on Molecular Diagnostics products within Bruker´s Microbiology and Diagnostics business.

Its subsidiary Hain Lifescience GmbH is the legal manufacturer of the FluoroType SARS-CoV 2 varID Q assay, as well as of the FluoroCycler XT, MTBDR 2.0 assay, GXT nucleic acid preparation kits and of the FluoroType SARS-CoV-2 plus assays.
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