GT Molecular, a molecular diagnostics biotech, has introduced two high-sensitive tests for the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.7), identified in the UK.
The company said that its new assays are designed based on clinical background and technology for accurate qPCR and digital PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The tests are offered in two formats, the first, a nationwide fee-for-service testing of wastewater samples for UK Variant of SARS-CoV-2, and the second, GT-PCR B.1.1.7 COVID VARIANT commercial reagent kit for RT-PCR and digital PCR instruments.
GT Molecular R&D director Rose Nash said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to leverage the advantages of wastewater epidemiology over conventional swab-based testing.
“With a single rapid analysis, we can assess an entire community for the presence of the new hyper-transmissible COVID-19 variant and return results to public health officials within 24 hours.
“We are providing our molecular reagents for this variant to the greater research community in an effort to support all COVID-19 researchers and empower their investigations into this highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant.”
GT Molecular’s fee-for-service enables to know level of viral transmission
GT Molecular said that its fee-for-service testing programme would provide a rapid, cost-effective way to understand the level of viral transmission within a community.
Samples from a community are collected in the form of a flush to the wastewater treatment facility, where a single wastewater test covers thousands of people within a fraction of costs required for clinical tests.
GT Molecular said that its All-in-one B.1.1.7 COVID VARIANT Regent kit offers high-quality, pre-validated reagents and viral controls to researchers and labs.
With the new diagnostic tests, the company intends to provide communities, researchers and wastewater treatment operations across the US, with the latest information regarding the new Covid-19 variant.
GT Molecular CEO Christopher McKee said: “We continue to make great strides in waterborne pathogen detection both for communities and testing labs with our fee-for-service offering and our PCR assay kits.
“These new tests will allow communities to quickly determine whether the SARS-CoV-2 variant is present while giving health officials timely data that can better help manage outbreaks.”
