The Fluxergy Analyzer system, which utilizes state-of-the-art PCR and microfluidics technology, has been shown to accurately identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus in under one hour in bench lab tests performed by the company and in follow-up validation tests with patient samples completed this week by researchers at University of California San Diego (UC San Diego). The UC San Diego physician-scientist research team that conducted the validation, completed on March 27, 2020, has been led by Dr. Davey Smith, Professor of Medicine and Head of the UCSD Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health. Dr. Smith is a member of the Fluxergy Medical Advisory Board.
Advanced rapid point-of-care PCR tests for COVID-19 like the Fluxergy Analyzer system may have the potential to save significant time compared to standard lab tests that must be shipped to centralized laboratories for processing. Fluxergy's on-site sample-to-answer test for COVID-19 requires a very small sample, typically a nasal swab. This swab is mixed with a reagent solution, loaded onto the Fluxergy card and inserted into the Fluxergy Analyzer in a convenient two-step procedure.
"The worldwide shortage and inaccessibility of COVID-19 tests have been major impediments to containing the pandemic in the U.S. and globally," said Dr. Ali Tinazli, Chief Commercial Officer at Fluxergy. "We are gratified to be progressing toward the next important milestone in the development of our point-of-care diagnostic technology."
About Fluxergy
Fluxergy, launched in 2013 with funding support of investor John Tu, co-founder of Kingston Technologies, seeks to provide a portable, highly sophisticated and easy to use sample-to-answer POC platform that enables clinicians to cost-effectively conduct a wide range of multiplex and multimodal in vitro diagnostic tests (different types of tests all at once, up to 30 targets). Fluxergy's solution is a portable testing platform based on three core elements: the single-use consumable Fluxergy Card, the Fluxergy Analyzer, and its user interface Fluxergy Works. The Fluxergy Analyzer and the single-use consumable Fluxergy Cards (lab-on-chip) are designed to be very cost-effective and scalable, using proprietary printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing and microfluidics technologies. Leveraging Fluxergy Works Software, as many as 256 Fluxergy Analyzers can be managed with one local server and linked to the Cloud to provide powerful access to help manage patient data.