When bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics (IVD), approached us to partner on this project, they had already developed a concept demonstration prototype in-house. The main challenge was to evolve the technology into a highly usable, robust, market-ready instrument in a short amount of time, and we were able to deliver it to them in just 20 months.
Key aspects of our development included:
- Instrument concept generation and industrial design
- Significant usability studies to perfect workflows
- All hardware development including fluidics, robotics and heating
- Instrument control and service software
- Prototype build, test and qualification
- Seamless manufacturing ramp-up and volume manufacturing at our Melbourne manufacturing facility
The resulting bioMérieux NucliSENS® EasyMAG is a general-purpose sample preparation instrument that extracts nucleic acid from a variety of biological samples, such as blood, CSF, stool and sputum. By using the proven bioMérieux magnetic extraction design, it removes waste and leaves only purified nucleic acid in the sample vessels. It can be used as a front-end for bioMérieux’s molecular diagnostic systems and for stand-alone assays, including “home brews” and competitor’s assays.