GENE-UP system simplifies lab workflow - bioMérieux
GENE-UP was developed with BioFire Defense, a US firm it acquired in January 2014.
The system is available for laboratories in the US and will be introduced into Europe, Latin America and Asia in the first half of 2016.
GENE-UP detects 1 cfu / 25g or 375g and time to results for all parameters is less than 24 hours.
For specific applications such as detection of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef, time to results is less than 10 hours, Stan Bailey, senior director bioMérieux Scientific Affairs told FoodQualityNews.
Simplifying workflow
“The success of GENE-UP is based on its capacity to answer customers’ needs in terms of workflow, software, open capability and the support services bioMérieux delivers to its customers," he said.
“The information of the timing of a project is never disclosed but we are proud to launch this product less than two years after the acquisition of BioFire by bioMérieux.”
Bailey told us that GENE-UP simplifies lab workflow compared to existing systems on the market.
“For example the specific and patented cap used on the lysis reagent enables to avoid the capping and de-capping steps. It generates two immediate benefits for the customers,” he said.
“One is reduced and facilitated preparation steps (lysis phase) equalling enhanced productivity and the second is limited risk of contamination which means improved profitability as when the lab is contaminated, it takes weeks to come back to normal situation.”
It can detect Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Listeria and will be expanded in the coming months with additional tests designed to meet the specific needs of the various agri-food sectors.
The methods used to detect Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 have received AOAC-RI certification. The company said it plans to increase the number of validations in the GENE-UP menu.
Open platform
GENE-UP being an open platform is suited to tests in the CEERAM product range (CEERAM is a company specialized in molecular biology acquired by bioMérieux in December 2014).
CEERAM tests detect viruses, including norovirus and hepatitis A in the agri-food production chain.
“An ‘open platform’ is an instrument which allows the customers to design their own PCR run and use any suitable kits of reagents,” said Bailey.
“Thanks to this ‘open mode’ customers are also able to manage the risk of viral contamination with the CEERAM kits, leader on this segment of market and recently acquired by bioMérieux. The platform is then suitable for the identification of both bacteria and viruses.”
bioMérieux said it could not share the specifics; but GENE-UP will meet customer needs from different food industries and in different geographies so panel enlargement is foreseen.
