ExcitePCR has published its first white paper, titled 'PCR Unchained: The Coming Revolution in Field-based Pathogen Detection'.

In 'PCR Unchained,' ExcitePCR identifies what it sees as 12 factors that have thus far held back the adoption and usage of pathogen detection systems In-the-Field (whether urban, suburban, rural or remote) that utilize state-of-the-art Polymerase Chain Reaction technologies.

“As we’ve considered the breadth of existing PCR-based pathogen testing and detection systems in use today, we’ve been puzzled by the troubling reality that few systems have been deployed In-the-Field to date at what is known as the Point-of-Care or Point-of-Need,” said Kimothy Smith, DVM, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of ExcitePCR, White Paper co-author, and former Chief Veterinarian of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “Our examination of the marketplace uncovered numerous factors presently limiting the widespread POC/PON adoption of Polymerase Chain Reaction-based systems, and we’ve now coalesced those down into a list of what we see as the 12 Factors currently preventing in-field usage of PCR-based pathogen testing and detection systems.”

Current market projections suggest annual revenue for all PCR-based pathogen testing and detection systems will reach over $28 billion* in five years, with POC/PON-based systems being a subset of that amount. Among the 12 Factors ExcitePCR identifies in PCR Unchained as presently restricting PCR-based pathogen detection In-the-Field are as such factors as

• Size/weight of current PCR-based machines,
• The need for professionally trained operators,
• Limited communications/electricity infrastructure in POC/PON settings, and
• Expense (at multiple levels).

In spite of the factors currently limiting widespread usage of PCR-based systems in-the-field, ExcitePCR believes that eliminating many of the 12 Factors will result in a “Golden Age” for the pathogen detection and diagnostics industries.

“Notwithstanding the factors currently restraining this marketplace, our evaluation of the PCR market suggests that a ‘Golden Age’ of field-based deployment of PCR-based systems may be on the near horizon,” said David Politis, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer of ExcitePCR and co-author of the White Paper. “Clearly, using realtime PCR-based pathogen testing and detection systems at the Point-of-Care/Point-of-Need is ideal, especially when we’re talking about potential outbreaks where speed can save lives, improve care, and eliminate hardship and suffering. So current limitations notwithstanding, our research suggests we have reason to be optimistic about the future of In-the-Field use of PCR-based systems.”

Visit excitepcr.com to download the white paper