Thermo Fisher launches new RT-LAMP tests to detect viral pathogens

USA – Thermo Fisher Scientific, a medical technology company based in the United States, has released two new RT-LAMP solutions to aid in the study of viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.

The RT-LAMP (reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification) technology is said to be a quick and low-cost way to detect viral pathogens.

Invitrogen Colorimetric ReadiLAMP SARS-CoV-2 Kit and Invitrogen SuperScript IV RT-LAMP Master Mix are among the new test kits.

According to the company, the two new test kits can be used for pathogen detection, molecular diagnostics research, and cancer research.

Thermo Fisher Scientific molecular biology vice president and general manager Dale Patterson said: “In the global fight against Covid-19 and future infectious disease outbreaks, researchers need cost-effective, easy-to-use solutions for rapid detection of viral pathogens.

“With RT-LAMP technology, researchers can accurately detect the presence of a pathogen by seeing a simple color change with the naked eye.

“Our new solutions enable frequent – even daily – surveillance without complex instrumentation or highly trained staff, making them ideal tools to support community surveillance in resource-constrained areas.”

The Invitrogen Colorimetric ReadiLAMP SARS-CoV-2 kit from Thermo Fisher is a ready-to-use assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in saliva, nasal, or nasopharyngeal swab samples.

Thermo Fisher is committed to expanding access to solutions to aid global SARS-CoV-2 surveillance efforts as the world continues to monitor for new variants.”

It operates on two protocols: one with a quick turnaround time of 30 minutes for crude sample types and another with a one-hour turnaround time for purified RNA sample types.

The Invitrogen SuperScript IV RT-LAMP Master Mix kit was created by the company to assist professionals who want to research or develop their own assays for multiple applications.

The test kit is designed to detect viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, measles, and influenza in as little as five minutes.

According to the company, its optimized master mix is compatible with multiple methods and enables optimized assay development for various RNA and DNA targets.

Thermo Fisher Scientific vice president and sample preparation general manager Ellie Mahjubi said: “Thermo Fisher is committed to expanding access to solutions to aid global SARS-CoV-2 surveillance efforts as the world continues to monitor for new variants.”

For instance, Thermo Fisher has introduced modified workflows that use room-temperate stable reagents to eliminate the need for cold storage and recently developed a rapid environmental test that can detect SARS-CoV-2 pathogens in the air faster than ever before.

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