US-based Luminex has introduced a new NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel (RUO) test, which allows laboratories to simultaneously detect 22 respiratory pathogens in a single closed tube system.
Luminex president and CEO Homi Shamir said: "Luminex introduced multiplexed respiratory panels to the clinical market in 2008 and our customers are anxiously awaiting a next-generation product that delivers expanded panel coverage and a simple closed tube workflow, combined with the throughput and quality of results established by the xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel.
"We are also pleased to report that we remain on track with our NxTAG clinical trials schedule which started in the first quarter of the year, and we expect the FDA submission to occur in the summer of 2015."
The new respiratory assay can be carried out in a few minutes through adding extracted samples to pre-plated and lyophilized reagents.
The tubes are then sealed to prepare for closed tube amplification and subsequent detection using the Luminex MAGPIX instrument.
According to the company, the new tube strip design helps laboratories to manage variable sample demand by processing a single sample or up to 96 samples per run without wasting consumables or reagents.
The accompanying SYNCT Software offers a comprehensive approach to data analysis and reporting and incorporates NxTAG easily into any laboratory. Clinical trials for NxTAG are currently in progress in the US.
Image: NxTAG enables testing for 22 respiratory targets with a closed tube system and an easy 3-step workflow. Photo: courtesy of Luminex Corporation.