The Digital LightCycler System intends to support laboratories doing sensitive and accurate DNA and RNA analysis in fields like oncology and infectious diseases
The Roche Tower, headquarters of Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel. (Credit: Taxiarchos228 from Wikipedia)
Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Diagnostics has introduced its new digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system, Digital LightCycler System.
The Digital LightCycler Technology is an advanced digital PCR system that aids clinical researchers in understanding the type of cancer, hereditary condition, or infection that a patient is suffering from.
The new system can find and quantify ultra-rare, hard-to-detect mutations for early diagnosis and treatment plans.
It also intends to support laboratories doing sensitive and accurate DNA and RNA analysis in fields like oncology and infectious diseases.
According to the firm, the device can identify diseases and quantify trace amounts of DNA and RNA targets that are generally undetectable by conventional PCR techniques.
Clinical researchers will be able to separate DNA and RNA that have previously been extracted into as many as 100,000 tiny individual reactions using the system and analyse the findings with extremely complex data.
Roche Diagnostics CEO Thomas Schinecker said: “Understanding the hidden characteristics of serious diseases is fundamental for ensuring that the most effective treatment is selected for each patient.
“The Digital LightCycler System will support clinical researchers and laboratories in identifying rare and emerging disease mutations. This can be instrumental in early diagnosis and therapy decisions.”
The technique gives researchers additional chances in fields like oncology and infectious illness that regular PCR technology cannot.
This includes identifying extremely rare targets, precisely estimating the amount of target DNA or RNA present at the molecular level, and performing additional high-precision analyses.
The system will be accessible in 15 nations this year, with intentions to expand to additional nations soon after.
Earlier this month, the company rolled out its new CE-marked Elecsys IGRA SARS-CoV-2 test to measure Covid-19 immune response.