In mid-2020, the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, a negative result from a gold-standard SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was required from a person if they wanted to board a flight or ferry, along with a reason why they deemed their journey to be essential. It took, on average, more than 24 hours for a lab to return a result, which was by no means convenient.

Even though there were a lot of rapid antigen lateral flow tests (LFTs) on the market at that time, none were as sensitive as the gold-standard PCR. Fortunately, for Credo Diagnostics, their innovative rapid molecular diagnostic platform based on the well-established real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (real time PCR) technology was perfect for this purpose.

Credo’s VitaPCR™ is a small portable benchtop instrument (weighing 1.2kg) that could return a gold-standard SARS-CoV-2 result in 20 minutes with its proprietary reagents. It was picked up quickly and put to use at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy Airport), King Abdulaziz International airport in Saudi Arabia, and on the Explorer Dream cruise ship, to name just a few.

“We debuted the VitaPCR™ at AACC 2019, launching our first respiratory assay for Influenza A and B” said Clement Huang, Director at Credo Diagnostics’ Business Development Division. “When SARS-CoV-2 first became known to the world, not many people said it would last, but our Chairman and CEO Dr. Wong Jr. Winston, said we should contribute to the fight against a potential pandemic and decided to make an assay to detect it. We ended up deploying over 7,000 VitaPCR worldwide,” said Clement.

The CE-marked Credo VitaPCR™ SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection assay has demonstrated efficacy in detecting all known variants of concern, including the recent BA.1 and BA.2 sublineages.   

Furthermore, in a study performed (and published in ‘Nature Scientific Reports’ (Click here to download) by the UK National Infection Service (NIS) laboratory, the VitaPCR™ sample collection buffer proved effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2, providing clinicians on the front line with sufficient protection against SARS-CoV-2.

To mark the 11th anniversary, Credo Diagnostics Biomedical will embark on the next growth phase – by launching a new range of assays and continuing its mission ‘Affordable Advanced Medical Technology for All.’

Watch the video below to see Carrie Chen, Sales Specialist, Credo Diagnostics, give a demostration on how easy it is to get a PCR result in 20 mins with the VitaPCR™.

Visit www.credodxbiomed.com