Developing stable, sensitive, and reproducible molecular diagnostic assays (LAMP, PCR or other) is usually a lengthy process of trial and error. It is even more challenging developing point-of-care (POC) applications.
Researchers frequently develop assays in a liquid format first and delay reagent drying (a.k.a lyophilization or freeze drying). In many cases, this leads to enzyme re-selection and complete assay re-development (sometimes at the last moment), loss of valuable time, and resource shortages.
Maintaining DNA and RNA amplification enzymes in a viable state in disposable cartridges for POC use is challenging. This challenge is met by EVIKTM lyophilized (or freeze-dried) master mix reagent beads.
Our expert development team has years of experience working with various qPCR, RT-qPCR, LAMP, and CRISPR assay reagents from several leading manufacturers. EVIKTM ‘know-how’ has enabled our development team to select a robust set of lyo-friendly enzymes, master mixes, excipients, and additives to resolve many assay-development challenges.
Using our white-label or ‘blank’ master mix beads from the start of your assay development process has several benefits, including the following:
Time and cost savings:
- The time-consuming and costly steps of selecting enzymes and excipients are eliminated
- The process development, validation times and overall POC assay project timelines are significantly reduced
Risk reduction:
- The risk of failure in assay sensitivity and stability are dramatically reduced
EVIKTM white-label qPCR master mix beads have all the assay components for a reaction except the primers, probes, and template. In our white-label (blank) beads, we can easily accommodate requests for enzymes from a specific source, and our beads are highly customizable to fit specific assay needs.
Various packaging options are available: 8-strip PCR tubes, 96-well plates, or other custom formats. Our standard beads support 20 µL reactions. However, we can customize the beads for your specific assay volumes.
Lyophilized or freeze-dried reagents have become a POC industry standard and offer a number of benefits:
- Dried reagents have a longer shelf life (stability)
- Cold-chain shipment is averted
EVIKTM lyophilized beads offer further advantages:
- Beads consume considerably less space in the lyophilizer or freeze dryer than reagents in cartridges, thereby offering greatly reduced process costs.
- Beads can be tested before cartridge assembly, mitigating the risk of substantial cartridge (plastics) waste.