BC Platforms BC|RQUEST

Sphere Fluidics has launched its Cyto-Cellect Human IgGk Detection Kit to measure antibody class and productivity for cell line development. The FRET-based assay detects the presence of human IgG from encapsulated cells in picodroplets with kappa light chain after secretion, characterizing and measuring antibody production. According to the firm, users can combine the kit with with the Cyto-Mine Single Cell Analysis System.  

Fluidigm this week launched three new imaging mass cytometry kits and new CyTOF software at the 2019 World Molecular Imaging Congress.

Fluidigm's Maxpar Human Immuno-Oncology Panel Kits are designed for immune-oncology research. Developed using pathologist-verified antibodies, the panels can be mixed and matched to profile tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, immune cell activation states, and tissue architecture. By combining them as a single 18-marker panel, researchers can broadly profile activated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes for single-cell analysis of tumor architecture from a single tissue scan, Fluidigm said.

Fluidigm's CyTOF software, meantime, is designed to be used with the Hyperion Imaging System for cellular biomarker identification. According to the firm, the software streamlines the selection and acquisition of multiple regions of interest (ROI) from each slide. Researchers can remotely annotate those ROIs using brightfield reference images to guide automated batch acquisition of highly multiplexed images at 1-micron resolution. During image acquisition, researchers can visualize multiplexed images in real time across all detection channels to ensure data quality, Fluidigm said.

Xifin has introduced a new version of its laboratory information system, Xifin LIS 6. The latest iteration of the software-as-a-service platform includes several features resulting from recently formed partnerships. Notably, Xifin LIS 6 includes artificial intellegence-driven genomic data interpretation, thanks to a partnership with Fabric Genomics. The new release supports fast, scaleable analysis of next-generation sequencing to produce "physician-ready" clinical reports, the company said.  

Other upgrades in LIS 6 include support for digital pathology workflows via a collaboration with Proscia, integration of Glidian's automated prior authorization technology, and access to test utilization support from the Medical Database LDS laborator decsion system.

Loop Genomics has launched a new sample preparation kit and service for de novo bacterial genome assembly using synthetic long reads on Illumina sequencers.

The LoopSeq Bacterial Genome Sequencing kit leverages the firm's chemistry and computational pipeline to create reads thousands of base pairs long, providing high-quality assemblies with fewer total contigs, higher N50 values, and fewer misassemblies.

San Jose, California-based Loop Genomics said the kit is plug-and-play and can easily replace existing sample preparation kits for bacterial genome sequencing experiments, using Loop's software for data analysis.

Streck this week launched three new real-time PCR antibiotic resistance kits for research use only. The kits cover MCR, expanded OXA, and TEM/SHV/GES to detect variants of resistance genes considered by the US Centers for Disease Control.

Streck also introduced RNA Complete BCT, a direct-draw whole-blood collection tube containing a specially designed reagent which maintains the draw-time concentration of extracellular vesicles such as exosomes for up to 7 days at room temperature storage.

Korean bioinformatics firm ChunLab has launched TrueBac ID, a cloud-based platform that combines proprietary algorithms and a manually curated reference database for bacterial identification targeting more than 12,000 species. The system can provide a full identification report within 30 minutes after a user uploads a genome assembly or raw shotgun sequencing data as a FASTQ file. The report provides fully resolved taxonomic classification, antimicrobial resistance genes, and virulence genes to facilitate correct diagnosis and appropriate therapy. In a recently published study, TrueBac ID was able to accurately identify 34 of 36 clinical isolates (94.4 percent) that were not identified using three commercially available MALDI-TOF MS systems. ChunLab said that it is providing the service for free to all users until the end of 2019 with certain restrictions. In 2020, the company plans to add functions such as strain typing to the platform.

San Diego, California-based molecular diagnostics developer Mesa Biotech has launched a respiratory syncytial virus test on its sample-to-answer point-of-care PCR system, the Acula. The RSV test is the second test on the system, which also runs an influenza A/B test and is exclusively marketed in the US by Sekisui under the Silaris brand. It was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration and CLIA-waived last year for diagnostic use in both children and adults.