BD of Franklin Lakes is targeting monkeypox through a new collaboration with CerTest BioTec, according to a Wednesday announcement.
The two will develop a molecular diagnostic test for the monkeypox virus. As part of the collaboration, the assay will use the BD MAX open system reagent suite to validate the CerTest Viasure Monkeypox CE/IVD molecular test on the BD MAX System. The assay will be available for BD MAX users and may help advance understanding of the global spread of the disease.
The BD MAX System is an automated platform that performs nucleic acid extraction and real-time PCR providing results for up to 24 samples across multiple syndromes in less than three hours.
“One of the key advantages of the BD MAX System is its open-architecture system that enables rapid response to emerging health threats,” Nikos Pavlidis, vice president of molecular diagnostics at BD, also known as Becton, Dickinson & Co., stated. “Just as we did at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we partnered with CerTest to quickly develop a molecular test to help better understand and track this disease.”
“Speed is of the essence when responding to what the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency,” Nelson Fernandes, managing director of CerTest BioTec said. “We hope this new test will boost capacity for monkeypox research, ultimately helping quell the spread of the disease.”
As with all CerTest tests, the Monkeypox PCR Detection Kit for the BD MAX System is offered in a lyophilized format. Accordingly, the test will come in a tube that snaps into the test-specific position on the BD MAX ExK TNA extraction strip, which is supplied by BD.