Miacom Diagnostics GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany, has partnered with MetaSystems, Newton, Mass, to offer microbiologists the advantages of fluorescence in situ hybridization technology together with the accuracy and speed of a fully automated reading and data analysis platform.
“This joint venture will bring something truly unique to the market,” says Mirko Stange, PhD, CEO of Miacom Diagnostics. “During the last year MetaSystems and our team have succeeded in utilizing the full power of the MetaSystems platform to automatically handle and analyze Miacom-processed patient samples. We are now able to automatically identify bacteria directly from respiratory secretions in just minutes.”
According to Strange, the partnership has yielded significant benefits. “Laboratories can report the infection-causing pathogen within the timeframe of a Gram stain and enable intensive care units to immediately improve antibiotic treatment,” he says.
The rapid pathogen identification (RPI) system was specifically developed to enable decentralized sample processing, while the resulting data can be stored and analyzed centrally anywhere in the world. “Particularly for antibiotic trials, this system facilitates patient enrollment while reducing overall cost and reducing risk for trial participants,” says Andreas Plesch, PhD, CEO of MetaSystems. “A trained physician in Boston, for example, can make a diagnosis of a patient sample being tested in New Delhi. This occurs in real time, so that within 30 minutes the correct pathogen ID can be confirmed and the decision can be made to enroll the patient in a trial.”
Results are digitally transmitted and stored, and are fully compatible with laboratory information management systems.
For more information, visit Miacom Diagnostics or MetaSystems at AACC booth 4110.
