Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and Ubiquitome have announced a partnership to develop the Ubiquitome Freedom4 real-time RT-PCR ebola virus assay for easy use in the field. The rapid test will be designed to run on Ubiquitome’s handheld, battery-powered, real-time PCR device, the Freedom4.

Based in Coralville, Iowa, Integrated DNA Technologies Inc (IDT) is a market leader in the manufacture of GMP-quality products for use in molecular diagnostic tests. The company is the largest supplier of custom nucleic acids in the world, serving academic, government, and commercial researchers in biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, and pharmaceutical development.

Gunstream

Stephen Gunstream, IDT

IDT’s primary business is the manufacture of custom synthetic DNA and RNA oligonucleotides. For its collaboration with Ubiquitome, IDT is leveraging its PrimeTime qPCR assay platform to develop an assay that will provide accurate and consistent test results for ebola virus disease.

“The sensitivity and specificity of our PrimeTime qPCR assays are well established,” says Stephen Gunstream, IDT chief commercial officer. “We are excited about how effectively we can combine IDT’s assay design expertise with Ubiquitome’s Freedom4 instrument to provide a field testing service for ebola virus disease. This test will enable early detection and help control the spread of this devastating disease.”

Pickering

Paul Pickering, Ubiquitome

“The Ubiquitome Freedom4 real-time RT-PCR ebola virus assay, run on the Freedom4, will allow rapid, accurate field testing of ebola virus disease,” says Paul Pickering, Ubiquitome CEO. “This is important, because regions affected by this disease are often far from an established laboratory.”

Ubiquitome is a New Zealand-based developer of handheld, cloud-connected, real-time PCR devices. The company’s Freedom4 is the first commercially available handheld, battery-powered device to offer gold-standard real-time PCR performance wherever it is needed.

Fitting in the palm of a hand, the Ubiquitome instrument can operate on battery power alone for up to 6 hours. The platform runs using an iPhone or laptop computer, is housed in a rugged aluminum casing, and features a solid-state design that includes laser-based optical detection, widely recognized as providing the highest performance in real-time PCR.

Testing of the Ubiquitome Freedom4 real-time RT-PCR ebola virus assay will be conducted in Aberdeen, Md, by Battelle, a contract research and development organization that designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. For more information, visit IDT and Ubiquitome.