At the 2018 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Fast Track Diagnostics, a Siemens Healthineers company, launched the Fast Track molecular thermocycler and complementary FastFinder software. The Fast Track cycler is a compact platform that enables laboratories to implement molecular testing, while the FastFinder software improves workflows through the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation.
Hood-up view of the Fast Track Cycler by Siemens Healthineers.
The Fast Track cycler is a compact research-use-only thermocycler created to fit laboratories of all sizes, weighing just 2 kG and measuring 150 mm x 150 mm x 130 mm. The platform is scalable: up to 10 thermocyclers can be connected to one computer, and laboratories can utilize a range of 1 to 480 wells.
“With the Fast Track cycler, we at Siemens Healthineers are expanding our molecular instrument portfolio by offering a simple, fast, and compact solution attractive to a growing variety of markets and customers,” says Fernando Beils, head of molecular diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers. “Though small in size, the Fast Track cycler leverages cutting-edge technology for high-quality, reliable results.”
Fernando Biels, Siemens Healthineers.
The Fast Track cycler uses magnetic induction technology for robust and reliable results. Because no calibration is required, the thermocycler does not drift or age and offers simple handling. The cycler also comes equipped with Fast Track lyophilized reagent technology, providing PCR reagents in a single sample tube, and eliminating the need to prepare the reaction mix before test implementation. With this technology, users add nucleic acid extracts to the prepared tubes before inserting them into the cycler.
Developed in collaboration with UgenTec, the FastFinder software provides a fully automated real-time PCR interpretation platform compatible with all multiplexing kits from Fast Track Diagnostics. CE marked for in vitro diagnostic applications, FastFinder uses built-in statistical machine learning to analyze every amplification curve, then automatically combines those results and processes them through an assay-specific decision tree, leading to an overall and conclusive result.
FastFinder software from Siemens Healthineers provides a fully automated real-time PCR interpretation platform (click to enlarge).
“FastFinder software minimizes the need for manual processing, which not only saves time, but increases the reliability of results as well,” says Beils. “Users receive 100% reproducible results in a matter of seconds, improving laboratory workflows and expanding precision medicine.”
“Siemens Healthineers’ focus on AI aligns perfectly with our vision for FastFinder,” says Steven Verhoeven, CEO at UgenTec. “The combination of Siemens Healthineers’ hardware and assays and our extensible software will guide laboratories globally to simple, accurate, and automated molecular diagnostics.”
For more information visit Siemens Healthineers.
