QIAGEN’s liquid-based sample-prep-and-detection kit helps labs ramp up COVID testing capacity

QIAGEN has announced it is working with genetic laboratories around the world to increase COVID-19 testing capacity with its artus® SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit that uses liquid-based sample-preparation technology to cut processing times for PCR results by up to two thirds. The company has significantly expanded production capacities to be able to meet the growing testing demand spurred by the emergence of the new Omicron variant.

Integrating sample preparation and detection into a single kit, artus® SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM enables labs to analyze samples in one hour – rather than the three hours typically required by standard extraction-based real-time PCR processes. The kit is compatible with all PCR machines and can support up to 672 samples being analyzed by one thermal cycler in one eight-hour shift.

“Since we started using this QIAGEN kit, we have been able to triple our PCR capacity to test for SARS-CoV-2,” said Ludwig Knabl, medical head of the molecular biological laboratory of Tyrolpath Obrist Brunhuber GmbH. “artus® SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM is faster than standard processes and can detect the virus just as reliably, including the new Omicron variant. The kit’s simple workflow accelerates turnaround and reduces the workload of our lab technicians.”

QIAGEN’s artus® SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit has been CE-IVD registered for clinical use in the European Union and other markets and is available for research use in the United States. The kit combines liquid-based sample preparation – which takes no more than two minutes – with a real-time PCR assay. It comes with all the reagents required for sample-to-result testing of samples. The test is validated for different types of swabs as well as for crude saliva in asymptomatic and symptomatic patient populations.

“Our artus SARS-COV-2 Prep& has been gaining significant traction in the market in times of surging global testing demand. Its novel sample-preparation technology enables laboratories to ramp up PCR-testing capacity using their existing infrastructure – a crucial factor as the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreads quickly,” said Kai te Kaat, Vice President, Program Lead Life Sciences Business Area at QIAGEN. “Having significantly expanded our production capacity, we are confident we will be able to satisfy surging demand from PCR labs.”

QIAGEN is also helping laboratories develop a more comprehensive picture of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants by enabling them to dramatically increase genomic surveillance using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The new enhanced QIAseq DIRECT SARS-CoV-2 Kit modifies the existing workflow to provide higher coverage and uniformity and requires less sequencing reads, allowing researchers to more quickly and easily identify and distinguish between multiple circulating Variants of Concern, (including the Omicron and Delta variants) even in samples with very low SARS-CoV-2 concentration.

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