A study published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology demonstrates that Great Basin Corp‘s Staph ID/R rapid, automated DNA multiplex assay can identify major pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus to the species level as well as the presence or absence of the methicillin-resistance determinant gene, mecA. In this study, the assay was 99% accurate in comparison to DNA sequencing results.
Staphylococcal infections are one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) worldwide, and up to 60% of all staphylococcal infections are methicillin resistant (MRSA). More than 2 million people are diagnosed with an HAI in the US each year, causing approximately 90,000 deaths. Studies have shown that reducing the time to diagnose patients with staphylococcal infections decreases the length of stay at hospitals as well as the rates of morbidity and mortality.
Researchers from Great Basin Corp, Denver Health Hospital, and the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the Staph ID/R test and determined that Staph ID/R has excellent specificity with no non-specific cross-reactivity observed.
Great Basin’s highly sensitive, integrated cartridge system allows for more accurate detection of infectious diseases, allowing providers to diagnose and define a clear treatment path sooner for improved patient outcomes, shorter hospital stays, and significant cost savings. The company’s goal is to deliver assays that can be performed in a CLIA-rated waived or moderately complex laboratory at a lower cost than other molecular diagnostic solutions.
Great Basin’s technology entails an integrated disposable cartridge containing all necessary reagents and an inexpensive bench-top analyzer that executes the assay, interprets the results and provides electronic output to the clinician. The platform offers results in less than one hour, depending on the target of interest; true sample-to-result with no more than two to three hands-on steps; on-demand testing; and multiplexes up to 64 distinct targets in a single assay.
Source: Great Basin Corp
