Randox joins government drive on COVID-19 tests for frontline NHS staff
27 March 2020
Randox Laboratories is partnering with the government to develop a new coronavirus testing programme in which NHS staff will be first in line.
The new service, which will be free, will help to end the uncertainty of whether NHS staff need to stay at home. Those who test negative for coronavirus will be able to return to work – enhancing the capacity of the NHS and social care to treat patients and care for those in community settings, with plans for a full roll-out for health, social care and other frontline workers.
Randox are providing high volume home sample collection kits and laboratory testing.
Randox CEO Dr Peter FitzGerald, said:
“We have an excellent Covid-19 assay and we are committed to supporting the government and this important initiative to test key workers and support vital public services.
“Randox Laboratories is now operational for COVID-19 testing and will be ramping up extensively in the coming weeks. This will provide extensive employment opportunities for laboratory and support staff.
“Our first tests have gone to the London Ambulance Service and we look forward to playing our role in ensuring that this critical capability continues to operate.”
To offer its coronavirus testing capabilities to the new programme, Randox’s COVID-19 test recently underwent evaluation from, and has been accepted by, Public Health England.
In its evaluation of the Randox COVID-19 test, Public Health England’s report noted that the assay correctly identified all positive and negative samples without exception.
As a result the government are proceeding to utilise the Randox COVID-19 test in the new testing programme for NHS staff, with an exceptionally high degree of confidence.
Two simultaneous tests are carried out on the proprietary Randox Biochip, in line with guidelines from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organisation.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
“We want to save lives, protect the most vulnerable, and relieve pressure on our NHS.
“Healthcare staff are key in our fight against the virus and I want to ensure that any frontline NHS or care worker who has symptoms of coronavirus or who has a family member with symptoms can be tested quickly and reliably.
“I pay tribute to the generosity and public spirit of Britain’s universities, research institutes and companies who have lent us their equipment without hesitation.”
Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said:
“Laboratory-based testing on this scale is a little like building the medical equivalent of a car factory. We are assembling many different parts, some of them quite specialised and hard to find, then getting them to work accurately together in a highly co-ordinated process. There are bound to be teething problems, so we cannot switch on hundreds of thousands of lab tests overnight. But we hope that soon these hub laboratories will be operating round the clock, allowing us to significantly scale up our testing.”
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com
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Point of care coronavirus test from Randox and Bosch will launch in April 2020
26 March 2020
Vivalytic Viral Respiratory Tract Infection Array Detecting SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
A game-changing point of care coronavirus test from global diagnostics company Randox Laboratories and leading technology manufacturer Bosch Healthcare Solutions will launch in April 2020.
The Vivalytic Viral Respiratory Tract Infection (VRI) Array can identify SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and differentiate it from nine other respiratory infections with similar symptoms, including influenza and all known coronaviruses.
This provides a more comprehensive respiratory screening which enables precise and informed treatment decisions to be made.
Dr. Heather McMillan, Molecular R&D Manager at Randox Biosciences, commented;
“This array focuses not only on the identification of the novel coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19, but also nine other respiratory infection targets simultaneously, including Influenza A and B, Sarbecovirus and MERS. The aim is to diagnose patients fast and accurately from a single genetic sample, maximising containment of the virus whilst minimising the spread. With the development of this array onto a fully automated platform, patients can be diagnosed rapidly at point of care locations globally such as pharmacies and doctor surgeries.”
The Viral Respiratory Tract Infection Array is one of the world’s first multiplex molecular diagnostic tests meeting the COVID-19 testing recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centres for Disease Control (CDC).
The target genes for COVID-19 being used on the VRI array represent conserved regions of the genome which have been chosen for their high sensitivity and specificity.
Marc Meier, Managing Director of Bosch Healthcare Solutions, a subsidiary of Bosch Group, said:
“We are enthusiastic about partnering with Randox to offer their assay technology on the Vivalytic platform. The core competencies of Bosch in automation, miniaturization, sensor technology and connectivity are complemented by Randox’s expertise in developing excellent biocontent for a wide range of assays and commercializing innovative diagnostic solutions.”
The new VRI test will be conducted on Vivalytic a point of care platform brought to the market by Randox Laboratories and Bosch. The Vivalytic system is a fully-automated, cartridge-based platform capable of both Hi-Plex and Lo-Plex testing. The cartridges are fully-sealed which minimises the risk of contamination, require room temperature storage (space-saving), contain all the reagents on-board the cartridge and utilises end point PCR. The test only requires a single nasal swab from the patient and an easy four step process to be carried out by the user to run the patient sample.
Key Benefits of Vivalytic | Point of Care Platform
- Fully-automated
- User friendly
- No laboratory training required
- 4 step work flow
- Minimal contamination risk – fully contained system
- No peripherals required – hygienic
- Touchscreen
- Connects to LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)
- Sample Type: Nasopharyngeal Swab
- Sample Volume: 300µl clinical sample
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact info@randoxbiosciences.com
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Randox Extended Coronavirus Array: Bringing the Best Science to the Forefront
COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) was declared a global emergency of international concern. The WHO’s director-general’s greatest concern is the potential for COVID-19 to spread to countries with weaker health systems. The biggest catch with containing the epidemic of COVD-19 is the detection. It has been recognised that faulty kits have been shipped around America by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and there simply aren’t enough kits in China 1. Randox can aid in overcoming these challenges.
What is COVID-19?
The COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. Consequently, research on this new strain is lacking. Symptoms are similar to that of the common cold or flu, including: fever, cough, difficultly breathing, muscle pain and fatigue. Like other respiratory infections, transmission occurs through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing, with an estimated incubation period of 2 to 14 days 2.
Current Situation
Globally, there are 46, 997 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 46, 550 of these confirmed cases attributed to China. Only 447 of the total number of cases are outside of China, across 24 countries. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 sits at 1, 369 of which all have been observed in China, except one. These statistics are laboratory-confirmed cases only 3. These statistics were reported by WHO on 13 February and is the situation of number, total and new cases, within the past 24hrs from being recorded. Whilst China is at a very high risk, the global risk level is high. These statistics indicate the necessity for COVID-19 diagnosis, especially as the above are only laboratory-confirmed cases combined with the faulty tests distributed in America and the lack of diagnostic tests in China.
The Randox Extended Coronavirus Array
Randox have developed a fast and accurate test for the detection of COVID-19, the new strain of coronavirus. The Randox Extended Coronavirus Array is the only test in the world that can identify the potentially lethal strain and differentiate between other respiratory pathogens with similar symptoms.
The new test utilises the Randox Biochip Technology, with results within 5 hours on the Randox Evidence Investigator, a semi-automated analyser capable of processing 54 patient samples simultaneously.
The Randox Coronavirus Array comprises five coronaviruses strains, including the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) strain. The table below provides a breakdown of the viruses included in the Randox Extended Coronavirus Array:
Dr Peter FitzGerald, Managing Director of Randox Laboratories, commented;
“Current technologies for the diagnosis of coronavirus are designed simply to detect the presence or lack of COVID-19, and therefore neglect to differentiate between this strain and other respiratory infections. We have therefore developed an extended Viral Respiratory Infection Array that tests simultaneously for COVID-19 and nine other viruses. This will eliminate the need for multiple back-and-forth tests before the root cause of symptoms is found, and empower clinicians to make fast and informed decisions.”
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