Since the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV in China at the turn of the New Year, thousands of lives have been lost and many more are negatively impacted. Since there is a 2-3% death rate from this virus and it may be transmitted by exposed individuals who show no symptoms, an effective screening test for the virus is vital for controlling this outbreak.
With Anitoa's solution, patient samples, such as throat or nasal swaps, can be applied directly to the portable instrument on-site without the need to freeze, transport and thaw the samples. The Maverick RT-qPCR device has a sophisticated 4-plex optical multiplexing subsystem to detect multiple gene targets in one sample, and it take about 30 minutes from sample to results. Maverick is powered by a unique CMOS biosensor chip developed by Anitoa. The CMOS biosensor integrates many sensing and processing functions necessary for qPCR in a single silicon chip, thus significantly reducing the footprint and cost of the device.
Having a R&D center in Hangzhou China, Anitoa tested its solution in hospitals and CDC-labs of China with actual patient samples. Early test results with Maverick solution showed a 97% accuracy, with 99% specificity.
"We are encouraged by the very promising performance results of the Maverick solution in detecting the 2019 new coronavirus. We want to contribute everything we have to help fight and prevent the spread of this terrible and deadly disease," says Dr. Zhimin Ding, CEO of Anitoa Systems.
The Anitoa Maverick instrument and test kit is provided as a turn-key solution for detecting 2019-nCoV. Anitoa is in the process of applying for clinical clearance under emergency use authorization (EuA) regulations in both USA and China.