Respiratory Viral Pathogen Detection from Nanogen

Nanogen, Inc., a developer of advanced diagnostic products, has expanded its molecular reagent product portfolio to include two new products to detect sequences for respiratory viral pathogens: a multiplex solid-phase hybridization set of reagents that can be employed to develop and validate assays for the detection of the sequences of six human respiratory viruses prevalent during flu season, and a research-use-only (RUO) real-time PCR probe and primer set for the identification of the influenza A and B viruses.

The NGEN™ RVA analyte specific reagent (ASR) product can be used to develop and validate assays to detect the sequences of and differentiates among influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3. Assays validated using NGEN RVA ASR can be carried out with various sample types, including nasal swabs and, once validated by the laboratory, can be used as a clinical diagnostic test. The product was developed in cooperation with Prodesse, Inc., a leading supplier of molecular-based reagents for infectious disease targets, and is available in the USA as an ASR for which analytical and performance characteristics are not established. The product has been CE marked in the European Union as an in vitro diagnostic and is available outside the United States.

Additionally, Nanogen has expanded its real-time PCR product group with an RUO probe and primer set for the identification of the influenza A and B viruses. The MGB Eclipse® Flu A/B RUO product uses the company’s proprietary MGB technology to provide melt curve analysis that differentiates the two viral strains for each sample. The new MGB Eclipse Flu A/B primer and probe set, along with the recently released Enterovirus and hMPV reagents, complement Nanogen’s growing MGB Alert™ product family of ASRs targeting infectious agents, such as herpes viruses and pneumonias.

Both sets and reagents target a nucleic acid sequence also found in the H5N1 strain of the influenza A virus, also known as avian flu. Laboratories interested in screening for avian flu can choose between the real-time PCR research reagents or the set of ASRs that can be validated for clinical use. Positives could then be sequenced for epidemiological studies.