AusDiagnostics has opened a new state-of-the-art production facility in Sydney, alongside the launch of their new Puryx extraction kit product line.
AusDiagnostics was the first Australian manufacturer to produce a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test for SARS-CoV-2 in January 2020. The tests have been used in most of the public hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne for the past six months, plus various laboratories in other states, as well as overseas in the UK, US and Europe.
The Puryx product line, which is manufactured at AusDiagnostics’ Sydney headquarters in Mascot, encompasses kits that extract pathogen derived nucleic acids from patient samples to prepare them for subsequent laboratory detection of infections and other pathogens, including testing for COVID-19.
There has been a global shortage of necessary reagents and kits to adequately address COVID-19 testing.
While the imminent focus is on viral extraction kits for COVID-19, AusDiagnostics is poised to rapidly expand the platform to meet the demands of the changing market beyond the pandemic.
Current manufacturing allows the production of enough kits to facilitate one million extractions per month. The Puryx kits are designed for high throughput and are optimised for robotic handling platforms. The Puryx Rapid extraction kits facilitate extraction in as little as 25 minutes, allowing more than 1400 samples to be purified in a day, while the Puryx Comprehensive Kits (superior sensitivity) completes extraction in 90 minutes, allowing for almost 400 samples per day.
“It’s a key effort in securing the entire testing process for COVID-19, respiratory illnesses and other infections,” says AusDiagnostics CEO, Scott Gilroy.
“Our research team has been at the forefront of this pandemic and continues to deliver quality innovations in the diagnostics space. We understand the importance of not only providing supply, but also thinking ahead to how we can minimise time from sample collection to actual diagnosis.
“Despite what we might face in the future, AusDiagnostics is committed to providing the highest quality testing products and diagnostics technology so that we will be ready to respond to demands both domestically and internationally.”
The number of COVID-19 cases have risen above 30 million and more than 950,000 people have died, according to the World Health Organization.