Rhinostics and Nexus Medical Labs announce partnership to launch rapid, cost-efficient swab sample processing for telehealth and broader industries
Increased sample throughput and consistency in COVID-19 and other swab-based tests is supported through use of the novel RHINOstic Automated Nasal Swab
8 Feb 2022
Product news
Nexus Medical Labs and Rhinostics, Inc., have announced a forward-reaching collaboration to deliver high quality diagnostic test results and rapid turnaround times for telehealth companies and others across the broader healthcare community. The agreement includes using the RHINOstic™ Automated Nasal Swab from Rhinostics when processing COVID-19 and other swab-based samples at Nexus. In addition to speed and results integrity, use of the RHINOstic in an automated workflow at Nexus is expected to boost cost-savings compared to manual sample processing methods.
“Together, Nexus and Rhinostics are building the next generation of ultra-rapid testing services and products and setting the bar very high when it comes to data quality,” commented Brandon Johnson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Nexus. “By leading the way on post-pandemic laboratory and workflow modernization, we can strongly align with our healthcare partners, especially those in the rapidly expanding at-home sample collection market.”
“Time is critical to diagnose and treat disease, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Cheri Walker, Ph.D., President and CEO of Rhinostics. “We are proud to partner with Nexus on time-saving swab solutions that can truly impact the world while doing so in a cost-effective manner.”
Founded in 2021, Nexus integrates cutting-edge automation technologies to process diagnostic samples in a high throughput manner with turnaround times as low as 5.5 hours. Rapid time to results and consistent, high-quality data are of particular benefit to the lab’s healthcare customers who focus on at-home collection methods.
Nexus relies on the automated RHINOstic swab workflow to process up to 20,000 COVID-19 samples per day. This patent-pending and U.S. FDA Class I exempt collection device integrates a unique swab with an automatable cap.
Once swab samples are collected by the patient or medical professional, the RHINOstic swab is placed into a barcoded sample container and shipped without use of viral transport media (VTM). Dry transport reduces reagent costs and risk of leaks. This, and the hydrophobic polypropylene design, enable greater concentrations of sample to be eluted for use in PCR, next gen sequencing, ELISA methods, and more. It also bypasses the need for tip-intensive workflow steps, such as extraction or concentration, to reduce overall consumable costs.
Automated accessioning, decapping, and capping of up to 96 RHINOstic devices simultaneously increases sample processing speed and consistency compared to manual methods. These benefits are further enhanced in a walkaway workflow incorporating an automated liquid handler. As the automated RHINOstic workflow is scalable, it can instantly adapt to surging sample demands without increasing labor costs.