Biotechnology front-runner LuminUltra is pleased to announce that it has received Health Canada authorization to sell and distribute its GeneCount® COVID-19 RT-qPCR Assay Kit. This authorization allows LuminUltra, the Canadian leader in point-of-need molecular diagnostic testing for over 25 years, to give governments and businesses across the country complete and customizable clinical COVID-19 testing capabilities in addition to its industry-leading environmental surveillance solutions in the fight against the pandemic.
“This new product line gives governments and businesses across Canada the tools they need to deliver a high volume of the most accurate COVID-19 test results possible in under two hours,” said LuminUltra Chairman and CEO Pat Whalen. “With this Health Canada authorization we are now able to expand our efforts in the fight against COVID-19 by providing accurate and fast testing solutions for both remote locations and high-capacity mobile labs.”
LuminUltra’s GeneCount® COVID-19 testing solutions comprise multiple, flexible components that together make up a complete laboratory-grade point-of-need solution, including: sample collection kits; isolation reagents; the COVID-19 assay; and a range of qPCR testing devices and software for simple interpretation of COVID-19 test results with industry-leading accuracy and sensitivity.
The gold standard GeneCount platform provides results on 16 to 96 tests in under two hours per run and includes instruments tailored to two specific needs:
- Portable, point-of-need devices built into a carrying case that enable up to 16 tests per run to be performed where they are needed; and
- High capacity, automated devices that enable up to 96 tests per run ideal for both mobile and traditional brick-and-mortar laboratories.
“At this critical point in the pandemic, we have the production capacity and supplies necessary to meet the testing needs for all of Canada,” underscores Whalen. “Our made-in-Canada solutions give laboratories, public health authorities and businesses across the country the ability to continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic without being beholden to international suppliers that may not see Canada as a priority market.”
As an added benefit, these instruments can run multiple sample types and test targets including environmental surveillance testing of surface or wastewater samples for the virus that causes COVID-19, both of which have been proven to help with early detection of potential outbreaks during the current pandemic. Additionally, the same instruments can be used to target common water- and food-borne pathogens such as legionella, coliforms, algae, listeria, salmonella, and more through adaptable testing kits available from LuminUltra.
Since March of this year, LuminUltra has recognized the important role of testing in the fight against COVID-19 and has focused on increasing capacity to meet the testing needs of all of Canada. Underscoring its reliable supply chain, LuminUltra responded promptly to the Government of Canada’s testing needs earlier in the year and has been a key supplier of the isolation reagents for the national testing program since April, keeping up with the demand of national testing needs by providing 500,000 tests a week.
