Testing for sexually transmitted diseases gets a boost

Roche Diagnostics in the UK launched the CE IVD approved cobas® 4800, its new, high speed analyser for testing Chlamydia/Neisseria Gonorrhoeae (CT/NG) and also for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). This ‘hi-spec’ instrument, which was unveiled to a group of hospital laboratory specialists at a recent preview event held at Roche’s Diagnostics Headquarters in Burgess Hill, Sussex, offers an unprecedented level of user friendliness combined with high throughput and efficiency.

Today’s laboratories are facing increasing workloads in testing for sexually transmitted disease and therefore the ability to do high throughput testing for Chlamydia for example - which, according to recent statistics, affects one in ten people aged under 25 - has become increasingly important especially given the high demand fuelled by the Government sponsored Chlamydia screening programme. Also, given the strong evidence of the link between HPV infection and cervical cancer, the cobas 4800 is equally well placed to meet future potential screening initiatives including triage and test of cure. Moreover, the HPV test performed on the cobas 4800 has a high negative predictive value, providing more information for clinicians in the fight against cervical cancer.
The cobas 4800 instrument features state-of-the-art, fully automated swab and urine sample preparation and combines with real-time PCR technology for amplification and detection, plus easy-to-use software that seamlessly integrates in to both extraction and amplification components. Its streamlined workflow and throughput flexibility means that up to 376 CT/NG or 282 HPV samples can be run in a day extending output without extending working hours. Less intensive testing needs can also be accommodated.

Professor Paul Savelkoul of VU University Medical Center, Molecular Microbiology, Amsterdam who undertook a comparison study of the cobas 4800 CT/NG test commented that the instrument was ‘very promising’ and that both the CT and the NG test showed ‘a high sensitivity and specificity’.
Early trialist, Jackie Jamison, Consultant Biomedical Scientist in Cytopathology and Molecular Pathology from Antrim Area Hospital Northern Ireland said: “The system is excellent and the software is very easy to follow. The throughput far exceeds our expectations and I would be very happy to recommend it for our laboratory.”