Molecular diagnostics firm Seegene has revealed some details of its forthcoming CURECA automated PCR system following its recent launch at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Vienna, Austria.
With a fully modular design, the company says that CURECA introduces a bold vision for automating pre-treatment across diverse PCR specimen types. The new system has been developed for future integration into unattended workflows and adaptable laboratory settings.Seegene expects to launch CURECA in July.
CURECA is designed to automate the entire PCR diagnostic process. It can handle various specimen types required in the pre-treatment stage in molecular diagnostics (MDx) – such as stool, urine, blood, and sputum – as well as perform the complete PCR testing workflow following sample loading.
The first component of CURECA is the Customiable Pre-treatment System (CPS). The CPS is designed to automate the loading of primary sample tubes and operate pre-treatment processing.
"The CPS is a modular, automated system intended to streamline pre-treatment processing across diverse diagnostic fields including molecular diagnostics such as PCR, as well as clinical chemistry and immunology assays," said Young-Seag Baeg, Head of Strategy and Planning at Seegene.
Following specimen preprocessing, molecular diagnostics typically involve nucleic acid extraction, PCR setup and amplification, and analysis of results. For specimens that do not need preprocessing, Seegene offers the Primary Sample Aliquot System (PAS) as an alternative to the CPS. PAS is designed to allow direct loading and dispensing of primary samples, helping to simplify the workflow. Seegene is pursuing the integration of PAS with a fully automated PCR process through a modular solution concept called CEFA (Customizable and Expandable Full Automation), intended to support diverse laboratory needs with greater flexibility.
Seegene aims to leverage the modular architecture of CURECA to support a wide range of diagnostic applications. "CURECA can be deployed as a comprehensive system or as individual modules - CPS, PAS, and CEFA - configured independently or in combination to accommodate diverse operational needs," said Baeg.
Another key advantage of the CURECA’s modular architecture is that it is designed to adapt to different laboratory spaces and layouts. Its flexible design is intended to allow laboratories to configure the system according to their specific needs, which Seegene sees as essential for enhancing operational efficiency.