A New Test to Simultaneously Detect 22 Respiratory Pathogens

Luminex Corporation has announced the launch of the NxTAG™ Respiratory Pathogen Panel (RUO). The NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel is the only respiratory assay that enables laboratories to both simultaneously detect 22 respiratory pathogens in a single closed tube system and accommodate the higher throughput required to respond to seasonal changes in demand.

"We are excited to bring the RUO version of the NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel to market," said Homi Shamir, President and CEO of Luminex. "Luminex introduced multiplexed respiratory panels to the clinical market in 2008 and our customers are anxiously awaiting a next-generation product that delivers expanded panel coverage and a simple closed tube workflow, combined with the throughput and quality of results established by the xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel. We are also pleased to report that we remain on track with our NxTAG clinical trials schedule which started in the first quarter of the year, and we expect the FDA submission to occur in the summer of 2015."

The NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel requires only minutes of hands-on time and no upstream reagent preparation. Extracted samples are added directly to pre-plated, lyophilized reagents. The tubes are then sealed and ready for closed tube amplification and subsequent detection using the Luminex MAGPIX® instrument.

The innovative tube strip design offers laboratories the flexibility to manage variable sample demand by processing a single sample or up to 96 samples per run without wasting consumables or reagents.

The NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel total turnaround time is approximately three hours for 96 samples (excluding extraction). The accompanying SYNCT™ Software provides a comprehensive approach to data analysis and reporting, and integrates the NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel easily into any laboratory.

Clinical trials for the NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel are in progress in the U.S.