Source: Thailand Medical News Feb 11, 2020 5 years, 11 months, 3 weeks, 21 hours ago
A California based molecular
diagnostics company has announced that it has developed a new
test kit for the new 2019-nCoV
coronavirus that can provide results in less than 30 minutes.
Cepheid, a leading biotech and molecular
diagnostics company announced that in response to the rapid outbreak of a new
coronavirus strain, the company has developed an automated molecular test for the qualitative detection of the 2019-nCoV
coronavirus.
The test will be designed for use on any of its 23,000 GeneXpert
® Systems placed worldwide and is expected to deliver point-of-care results in about less than 30 minutes.
Dr. David Persing, MD, Ph.D., Chief Medical and Technology Officer at Cepheid told
Thailand Medical News, "The emergence of the 2019-nCoV
coronavirus outbreak has put significant pressure on healthcare facilities. An accurate test with a rapid turnaround time delivered close to the patient will expedite
diagnostic testing and help alleviate these pressures.”
He added further, “Over at Cepheid, we have managed to leverage the design principles of our current Xpert
® Xpress Flu/RSV cartridge technology, in which multiple regions of the viral genome are targeted to provide rapid detection of current and future pandemic
coronavirus strains."
The company said that as a result of the virus rapidly spreading around the world plus intel collated from various sources that indicates that it is unlikely that the
coronavirus would go away anytime soon, the company invested all its resources and capabilities into developing this new
diagnostic test kit.
The biotech and molecular company has a history of responding quickly and working with global health organizations to help manage infectious disease outbreaks, such as Ebola virus and 2009 H1N1 influenza.
Once details are finalized, Cepheid intends to access the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization pathway for regulatory approval and make the test available globally.
Cephied said that providing access to timely, highly accurate
diagnostics that improve patient outcomes and public health worldwide is at the heart of Cepheid's mission.
Considering that time is a critical factor in managing the spread of the
uot;font-size:14px">coronavirus as well as providing fast treatment to the infected as it is now known that for many, once infected with the
coronavirus with initial signs such as fever and cough manifesting, it typically takes about three weeks for the patient’s condition to rapidly progress into a severe critical state.
The company plans to have the test kits commercially available with the next 7 to 14 days.
For latest developments and news about
coronavirus research, the
coronavirus epidemic or the
Thailand Coronavirus scenario, keep on checking at:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
