IDT, Ubiquitome to develop hand-held, battery-powered Freedom4 Real-Time RT-PCR Ebola Virus Assay

Handheld, battery-powered Freedom4 enables rapid field deployment of gold standard molecular test

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), and Ubiquitome today announced a partnership to develop the Ubiquitome Freedom4 Real-Time RT-PCR Ebola Virus Assay for easy use in the field. This rapid test is designed to be run on Ubiquitome’s hand-held, battery powered real-time PCR device, the Freedom4.

IDT, a market leader in the manufacture of GMP quality products for use in molecular diagnostic tests, is leveraging its PrimeTime qPCR Assay platform to develop an assay that will provide accurate and consistent test results for Ebola virus disease.

Fitting in the palm of a hand, Ubiquitome’s Freedom4 instrument operates on battery power alone for up to six hours and delivers gold-standard real-time PCR performance wherever needed. The platform runs using an iPhone or laptop computer, is housed in a rugged aluminum casing and features a solid state design that includes laser-based optical detection, which is widely recognized as offering the highest performance in real-time PCR.

Paul Pickering, Ubiquitome CEO, said:

The Ubiquitome Freedom4 Real-Time RT-PCR Ebola Virus Assay, run on the Freedom4, will allow rapid, accurate field testing of Ebola virus disease. This is important because regions affected by this disease are often far from an established laboratory.

Stephen Gunstream, Chief Commercial Officer of IDT added:

The sensitivity and specificity of our PrimeTime qPCR Assays are well established. We are excited about how effectively we can combine IDT’s assay design expertise with Ubiquitome’s Freedom4 instrument to provide a field testing service for Ebola virus disease. This test will enable early detection and help control the spread of this devastating disease.

Testing of the Ubiquitome Freedom4 Real-Time RT-PCR Ebola Virus Assay will be conducted by Battelle in Aberdeen, Maryland, USA.