Qiagen has announced the launch of EZ2 Connect MDx for use in diagnostic laboratories, making the IVD platform for automated sample processing available for widescale use 18 months after being made available for research.
With a high degree of automation, the EZ2 Connect MDx enables laboratories to purify DNA and RNA from 24 samples in parallel in as little as 30 minutes. The device now carries the EU’s CE-IVD compliance marking for in vitro devices (IVD) for the European Union and other countries that accept this designation. It is also available in the United States, Canada and other countries.
“EZ2 Connect MDx puts standardised and efficient nucleic acid purification in reach of any clinical laboratory,” said Jean-Pascal Viola, Senior Vice President, Head of the Molecular Diagnostics Business Area at QIAGEN. “It solves the challenges of many clinical diagnostics labs that have to provide diagnostics results quickly, that have to deal with fluctuating sample numbers as well as a large variety of sample types and quality.”
EZ2 Connect MDx can extract nucleic acids from blood plasma, serum, stool and other sample types using magnetic-bead technology. High process safety is ensured with prefilled and sealed reagent cartridges, as well as load checking through integrated cameras. Other features include UV decontamination, onboard pipetting and heating as well as automated piercing of the sealed cartridge. The resulting analyte is compatible with a variety of downstream technologies such as real-time PCR, digital PCR and next-generation sequencing.
EZ2 Connect MDx complements Qiagen’s leading offering of automated IVD nucleic extraction platforms, which includes QIAcube Connect MDx and QIAsymphony.
EZ2 Connect MDx is designed to handle a wide range of sample material thanks to QIAGEN’s elaborate kit portfolio and customizable protocols. It can be used in research mode with research kits (MBA) or in dedicated IVD mode with EZ1 DSP kits as well as protocols for diagnostic workflows. Another key feature is the ability to use the QIAsphere digital laboratory ecosystem, which enables full integration into the digital infrastructure of a laboratory that allows for remote instrument management
The new platform builds on Qiagen’s EZ1 family of devices, which set new standards in sample-prep automation and sample-data management. The EZ2 combines the ease of use, process safety and robustness of the EZ1 with improved throughput and digital features. More than 5000 EZ1 and EZ2 instruments have been placed worldwide.
To learn more about EZ2 Connect MDx, please visit: www.qiagen.com/products/ez2-connect-mdx.
