Developed in conjunction with its subsidiary TIB Molbiol, Roche’s tests are already available to scientists for research use “in the majority of countries worldwide,” the Swiss company said Wednesday.
All three of Roche’s LightMix Modular Virus test kits analyze samples using quantitative PCR technology, requiring the tests to be run on one of the company’s PCR analyzers.
The first test looks for signs of any orthopoxvirus, a strain of viruses that includes smallpox, cowpox and horsepox as well as monkeypox. Roche’s second test looks for monkeypox specifically and is able to detect both the West African and Central African clades of the virus.
The third test combines the two. Alongside identifying the presence of orthopoxviruses, it also returns results clarifying whether either form of monkeypox is the orthopoxvirus in question.
On the heels of the rollout, South Korea’s leading molecular diagnostics (MDx) company has developed a PCR test to detect the monkeypox virus. The Novaplex™ MPXV Assay, which specifically targets the monkeypox virus, was swiftly developed using the company’s AI-based automated test development system, known as SGDDS (Seegene Digitalized Development System), and technologies refined over 20 years of MDx expertise.
Assay targets monkeypox virus and can deliver results in 90 minutes
Seegene swiftly rolls out product using its automated assay development system
“Seegene will strive to make accurate tests for emerging viruses to help prevent future pandemics”
