Zygem has introduced its microbial fingerprinting diagnostic technology that is expected to reduce the complexity and time needed to identify unknown infectious agents in mixed population samples.
The approach is designed to run on the company's Microlab platform and has the potential to accurately identify up to 30 types of microbes simultaneously from a single sample in less than an hour.
Identifying infectious agents in samples that contain many types of microorganisms, such as in samples with suspected genital tract infections, is especially challenging.
Current testing methods are complex and costly and require several days to generate results.
Some infections are diagnosed using microscopic methods with questionable reliability, resulting in poor diagnoses that can lead to delays in treatment and higher healthcare costs.
In contrast, the microbial fingerprinting assay run on the Zygem/Microlab platform uses a catalogue of DNA markers to accurately identify multiple microbial infectious agents in a single reaction, which is expected to take less than an hour from sample to answer.
The Zygem system combines the company's DNA extraction and microbial detection technologies with PCR amplification in a single automated reaction that occurs in its integrated Zygem/Microlab microfluidic device.
This device miniaturises the entire DNA testing process within a single closed system, which reduces the amount of sample and reagents needed while virtually eliminating the chance for handling error or contamination.
Zygem researchers have developed a catalogue of 'fingerprints', or DNA markers, for a broad range of micro-organisms.
Special software developed for the system uses these fingerprints to identify and discriminate between the micro-organisms in mixed microbial populations.
Zygem has also developed complementary technology that enables the approach to accurately identify microbes from dilute samples.
The Zygem/Microlab system can perform multiplexed analyses and can also be configured for specific applications.
Its small size makes it suitable for applications both in the laboratory and in the field.
Portable hand-held versions are currently in development.
Forensic DNA data presented at a recent scientific meeting demonstrated that a prototype of the Zygem/Microlab device produced accurate results in less than an hour.
The results were comparable to those obtained with current technology that requires three separate instruments and five to 10 hours of processing time.
