Gold Standard Diagnostics, a Eurofins Technologies Company, Launches CE Marked Assay for the Detection of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Variant

LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gold Standard Diagnostics continues its response to the threat of the emerging Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant by providing innovative diagnostic solutions.

The Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant has raised significant concerns given its rapid spread in South Africa and has now been confirmed in over 40 countries. The variant contains many mutations which may enable the virus to evade the immune response raised by previous infection or vaccination.

With the current uncertainty surrounding the dangers of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, it is crucial to closely monitor its spread and provide reliable diagnostic solutions for its identification. By now, the variant has already split in two sublineages (BA.1 & BA.2) one of which, nicknamed the ‘stealth Omicron’, does not carry the Spike protein deletion 69/70. This deletion, however, has so far been used as a workaround to identify this variant through a dropout in a widely used RT-PCR assay [1].

Gold Standard Diagnostics Europe now offers a rapid and reliable RT-PCR assay detecting Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, including both sublineages. GSD NovaType II SARS-CoV-2 specifically identifies mutations N501Y and K417N, present in Omicron in approximately 1 hour, much faster than genome sequencing methods. The assay is CE-marked and available immediately.

GSD NovaType II SARS-CoV-2 supplements the product range developed in response to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as GSD NovaType Detect & Select K417N SARS-CoV-2 (RUO), that combines SARS-CoV-2 detection and identification of an Omicron signature mutation in one reaction.

Reference
[1] https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues/361

For more information, please visit Eurofins Technologies website.

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Building on the experience and scientific excellence of the Eurofins Group, Eurofins Technologies is a fast-growing global provider of diagnostic technologies and industry-leading ELISA-based instruments in the field of bioanalytical testing for the food, feed, environmental, animal health, and clinical diagnostics industries.

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