NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) — South Korean molecular diagnostics firm Bioneer announced on Wednesday the availability of a molecular test kit for the Ebola virus that it has developed in collaboration with the Nigerian National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA).
Specifically, the company's AccuPower EBOV real-time RT-PCR kit is optimized for detection of the Zaire subtype of the Ebola virus associated with recent outbreaks in Africa. Bioneer has worked with NABDA since April to develop means to rapidly detect this subtype.
The new kit is currently in limited use by NABDA, and Bioneer plans to make it available for use throughout Africa, a company spokesperson said.
Bioneer recently presented details about the kit at an Ebola virus-related workshop held by NABDA in Abuja, Nigeria, where the company trained symposium attendees on the firm's ExiStation real-time PCR system, as well as on the assay's use, outlining how it could provide early diagnosis of viral infection and quantitative analysis of viral load during treatment.