NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Canadian molecular diagnostics firm Spartan Bioscience said today that it will collaborate with Norwegian firm NorDiag on the development of an end-to-end DNA sample preparation and analysis system.
The firms intend to combine NorDiag’s Arrow DNA isolation device with the Spartan DX-12 DNA Analyzer. The partners will unveil prototypes of the two systems at the Association of Molecular Pathology meeting in Grapevine, Texas, this coming weekend.
The systems are aimed primarily at smaller labs, and offer a small instrument footprint and a relatively low cost. The instruments will be offered to customers separately and as a combined offering, and are expected to cost less than $15,000 each.
“Each device is designed to complete its processing of 12 samples in 30 minutes or less making the entire workflow possible in less than an hour,” Mark Kershey, VP of corporate development of Spartan, said in a statement. “This capability and its affordability will open DNA analysis to labs around the world.”
Kershey told GenomeWeb Daily News today that although smaller labs are a primary target, the firms also view their combined offering as a complementary platform for labs that are running larger-batch systems.