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New Products: Veredus Laboratories' VereMERS Test; LabCorp's Luminex xTAG CYP2D6 Service

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Veredus Laboratories recently introduced VereMERS, a lab-on-a-chip application capable of detecting from a sequence perspective the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

According to the Singaporean molecular diagnostics firm, VereMERS can identify the coronavirus that causes MERS using the company's automated platform, which integrates PCR and microarray technology. STMicroelectronics manufactures Veredus Labs' chips.

Veredus Labs' claims that it can deliver a result using its technology within two hours compared to other methods that can take up to several weeks. The company said that the assay will be eventually integrated into its existing VereFlu offering.


Laboratory Corporation of America announced recently that it is now offering drug metabolism testing using Luminex's xTAG CYP2D6 Kit.

CYP2D6 is one of the genes in the cytochrome P450 family of enzymes that is responsible for metabolizing many drugs. Genetic polymorphisms of CYP2D6 are associated with different drug metabolizing phenotypes and can be used to assess the potential for altered enzyme activity, LabCorp said.

The US Food and Drug Administration cleared Luminex's kit for clinical use earlier this year.

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