Thermo Fisher’s New High-Throughput, Automated System for Leading COVID-19 Test Granted FDA EUA

The Amplitude Solution is a molecular diagnostic testing system that helps clinical labs expand testing capacity by combining Thermo Fisher's extraction and real-time PCR instruments with liquid handling products from Tecan Group (Männedorf, Switzerland). The modular system utilizes a high-throughput version of Thermo Fisher's Applied Biosystems TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit, which received EUA in March 2020, to process samples in four steps with minimal hands-on time and laboratory space requirements. The kit's multi-gene target design and updated interpretive software may help labs detect SARS-CoV-2 variants.

The Amplitude Solution enables clinical and public health laboratories to scale gold standard PCR testing and process up to 8,000 samples in a single day with minimal staffing resources and a secured supply of kits, reagents and consumables to meet their testing needs. The Amplitude Solution has been implemented globally including labs in Europe and Japan.

"While COVID-19 cases globally may be decreasing in some areas as vaccines become more widely available, there continues to be a demand for frequent routine testing to control future outbreaks," said Mark Stevenson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "For population-wide testing programs, lab-based PCR is the best fitting technology, providing confidence in results, capacity to process thousands of samples a day, and consistent, reliable turnaround times. The Amplitude Solution can help support a systematic testing strategy by enabling labs to quickly scale their testing and begin processing high-volume samples, even with limited personnel."

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
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