The independent platform for news, articles and advice for professionals in laboratory medicine

Support for non-invasive prenatal testing

Yourgene Health, an international molecular diagnostics group, has launched LightBench Detect, the latest addition to its Ranger Technology instrumentation portfolio.

The company has worked closely with its clinical laboratory partners to develop size selection methodologies optimised for improving the performance of liquid biopsy workflows, most notably non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). The LightBench Detect helps NIPT providers to reduce no-call rates by optimising average fetal fraction. Leveraging the size selection capabilities of Ranger Technology, the LightBench Detect also enables laboratories to consider the use of EDTA blood collection tubes (BCTs) instead of expensive specialised preservation blood collection tubes in their workflows to help reduce overall costs.

LightBench Detect is a clinical-grade 3-in-1 electrophoretic instrument offering liquid biopsy and NIPT laboratories the ability to automate the process of DNA size selection and enrichment from samples stored for prolonged periods in EDTA BCTs. This core capability is complemented by the ability to perform fragment length analysis and fluorescence assays for quality control purposes.

Cell free DNA (cfDNA) fragments of fetal origin are typically <150 bp in length, meaning size selection using the instrument can enrich for fetal fraction to reduce the number of no-call results or screening failures, helping improve overall patient outcomes. Use of the technology in NIPT offers scalable and precise DNA size selection and achieves >97% reproducibility, ensuring consistent enrichment of the fetal fraction. 

The use of this patent-pending, EDTA-enabling, technology has been undertaken by the Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval*. The group worked with Yourgene to compare fetal fraction in 61 samples collected from singleton pregnancies in Vancouver over a two-month period. Samples stored in the expensive BCTs had fetal fractions below 4% (a common pass/fail threshold) 12% of the time, while samples stored in inexpensive EDTA tubes had zero cases of fetal fraction below 4% when paired with size selection. A low fetal fraction in NIPT will result in a no result and potentially a re-draw blood sample from the pregnant mother. The Vancouver group demonstrated that Ranger Technology offers an alternative solution to the use of expensive BCTs for stabilising NIPT samples. Yourgene has now made this capability accessible to the market via the LightBench Detect.

www.yourgene-health.com/

 

 

Upcoming Events

USCAP 113th Annual Meeting

Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
23-28 March, 2024

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London
2 May 2024

EQA Reports: Interpreting Key Information & Troubleshooting Tips

ONLINE - Zoom
Thursday 16th May 2024

Access the latest issue of Pathology In Practice on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Pathology In Practice app from your device's App store

Upcoming Events

USCAP 113th Annual Meeting

Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
23-28 March, 2024

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London
2 May 2024

EQA Reports: Interpreting Key Information & Troubleshooting Tips

ONLINE - Zoom
Thursday 16th May 2024

Access the latest issue of Pathology In Practice on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Pathology In Practice app from your device's App store

Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR
Tel: 01892 779999
www.step-communications.com
© 2024 Step Communications Ltd. Registered in England. Registration Number 3893025