Explore the most innovative clinical diagnostics technologies chosen by scientists and healthcare professionals
10 products accelerating science in clinical diagnostics
31 May 2023
As part of our new Accelerating Science Special Feature, in celebration of our 25-year anniversary, we have gone back in time to highlight a selection of the top products that are helping to accelerate science in the clinical field. These innovative clinical diagnostic technologies were all recipients of a SelectScience® Scientists’ Choice Award, chosen by clinical scientists and healthcare professionals around the world.
Scientists’ Choice Awards
The annual Scientists' Choice Awards® celebrate the laboratory products and manufacturers that make the biggest difference to the science industry. Scientists are invited to nominate, vote and review online. SelectScience began the Scientists’ Choice Awards in 2007 to enable scientists to voice their opinions on the best new laboratory products in several different categories. Nominations are collected and assessed by SelectScience editors, and the most popular nominations are put to public vote. Scientists are then invited to vote for their favorite products within each category, with the winners announced at scientific conferences throughout the year.
Read on to explore 10 key products, which include assays, kits, instruments, and systems that you have told us have had the biggest impact in advancing science in the clinical field.
Best New Clinical Product of 2012: QuantStudio™ Dx Real-Time PCR Instrument by Thermo Fisher Scientific Invitrogen
The QuantStudio Dx Real-Time PCR Instrument, winner of the Best New Clinical Product in 2012, delivered exceptional performance, flexibility, expandability, and support with new features designed to meet the needs of the clinical laboratory. The accuracy of the instrument helped regulated facilities in Europe and the United States maintain full compliance, whilst providing high sensitivity and specificity, and minimizing human error.
Best New Clinical Product of 2013: MiSeqDx System by Illumina
In 2013, the MiSeqDx instrument was the first FDA-cleared in vitro diagnostic (IVD) next-generation sequencing (NGS) system. Designed specifically for the clinical laboratory environment, the MiSeqDx instrument offered a small, approximately four square feet (0.37 square meters) footprint, an easy-to-follow workflow, and data output tailored to the needs of clinical labs. Integrated software also enabled sample tracking, user traceability, and results interpretation. Taking advantage of proven Illumina sequencing by synthesis (SBS) chemistry, the MiSeqDx instrument was able to provide accurate, reliable screening, and diagnostic testing.
Best New Clinical Product of 2015: ID NOW™ Strep A 2 (formerly Alere™ i Strep A) by Abbott
The CLIA waived ID NOW Strep A 2 test was able to provide molecular results in six minutes or less on the ID NOW™ platform; allowing healthcare professionals to confidently test, and with a positive result, treat patients, during their visit. ID NOW Strep A 2 delivered results within an actionable time frame allowing clinicians to make real-time clinical decisions. Reviewer comments described the product as “user friendly and had quality results”, and that the “small footprint helps operators to use it almost anywhere.”
Best New Clinical Product of 2016: IQFISH Panel for lung cancer by Agilent Technologies
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may involve genetic aberrations that can be used to direct therapy. Identification of these abnormalities is often done using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The IQFISH panel for lung cancer, is a set of oligonucleotide-based FISH probes, premixed with IQFISH Buffer, for the detection of rearrangements involving the ALK, ROS1 and RET genes, and the detection of MET gene amplification by FISH. These probes are used on lung paraffin-embedded tissue sections. This panel of IQFISH Probes, voted Best New Clinical Product of 2016, combined new generations of FISH technologies-oligonucleotide-based FISH in a ready-to-use formulation of IQ Hybridization Buffer. The result provided higher signal-to-noise ratios in a less than four-hour turnaround time, reducing the costs associated with labor and assays failures.
Best New Clinical Assay/Kit of 2017: MBT STAR®-Carba IVD Kit by Bruker Daltonics
Since the emergence of multi-resistance bacteria, only a few last-resort antibiotics are left, of which carbapenems are of high importance. These drugs can be deactivated by bacterial carbapenemase enzymes. Fast and cost-effective methods for the detection of bacteria with active carbapenemases are in high demand. The MBT STAR-Carba IVD Kit (STAR – Selective Testing of Antibiotic Resistance) in conjunction with the MBT STAR-BL IVD software allowed rapid microorganism identification and detection of carbapenemase activity in one workflow. This mass spectrometric resistance detection assay expanded the application of the MALDI Biotyper MALDI-TOF in clinical microbiology beyond the identification of microorganisms.
Best New Clinical Assay/Kit of 2018: High-Sensitivity Troponin I Assay for Atellica® IM and ADVIA Centaur® by Siemens Healthineers
The Siemens Healthineers true High-Sensitivity Troponin I Assay provides the accurate and actionable test results needed to confidently and quickly diagnose a myocardial infarction. As well as winning the votes of clinical scientists and healthcare professionals worldwide in 2018, the assay has also been praised by reviewers on SelectScience. Barun De, from Banner University Medical Center, Arizona, wrote of the assay, "Good assay with high precision and accuracy. High impact in the emergency department."
Best New Clinical Instrumentation of 2019: DxA 5000 lab automation system by Beckman Coulter
The DxA 5000, winner of the Best New Clinical Instrumentation of 2019 award, was designed to help laboratories meet the challenges of today’s highly focused healthcare environment through a collection of patented innovations. The system delivers rapid and consistent turnaround times, provides a new level of comprehensive pre-analytical sample quality detection, and reduces the number of manual processing steps to significantly improve laboratory efficiency. Leveraging dynamic system software, the DxA 5000 utilizes Intelligent Routing to bring automated patient-centric workflow to the laboratory. By understanding the tests requested, sample volume available, and real-time analyzer capacity and status, the DxA 5000 continuously calculates the most expeditious route for every patient sample.
Best New Clinical Instrumentation of 2020: DxFLEX flow cytometer by Beckman Coulter Life Sciences
DxFLEX is a clinical flow cytometry platform derived from the successful CytoFLEX. The advanced sensitivity and intuitive software of DxFLEX makes flow cytometry routine for both novice and expert flow cytometry technicians and promotes standardization. The autoloader facilitates accurate results and sample tracking.
Best New Clinical Assay/Kit of 2021: SafeCollect™ At-Home Sample Collection Kits by Zymo Research
The DNA/RNA Shield™ SafeCollect™ Swab Collection Kit is a user-friendly collection kit for stabilizing the nucleic acid content of samples collected with a swab. DNA/RNA Shield completely inactivates harmful pathogens in the sample and stabilizes the RNA in a sample for up to 30 days at room temperature. The SafeCollect™ design eliminates the risk of spilling the stabilization reagent during use and is ideal for applications that require at-home self-collection.
Best New Clinical Instrumentation of 2021: CFX Opus Dx Real-Time PCR Detection Systems for In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) by Bio-Rad
The CFX Opus Dx Real-Time PCR Systems combine the flexibility and outstanding performance to deliver the reliable results that a clinical laboratory demands. CFX Opus 96 Dx and CFX Opus 384 Dx are open systems offering the ultimate flexibility in commercial assay selection or rapid assay development in a clinical laboratory setting. CFX Opus 96 Dx can multiplex up to five targets per well and CFX Opus 384 Dx can multiplex up to four targets per well. The instruments offer precise quantification, accurate thermal cycler performance and powerful easy-to-use software.
Find more news and resources in our Accelerating Science Special Feature>>