In an interview with PharmaShots, Anthony Ho, Global Head of Strategic Planning for Molecular Diagnostics at QIAGEN share his views on the winner of the $3.4M US DOD contract to increase the production of COVID-19 PCR test

Shots:

• QIAGEN has received a $3.4M contract from the US DOD in coordination with the Department of HHS to increase the production capacity for its COVID-19 PCR tests that runs on NeuMoDx instruments across Ann Arbor, Michigan
• NeuMoDx 288 and 96 systems are high throughput laboratory automation systems & can process both commercial PCR assays and laboratory-developed tests
• The platforms provide a unique combination of speed, flexibility, throughput, and ease of use for molecular diagnostics testing. QIAGEN is planning to expand the production from 10M tests a year to 16M+ at the end of Mar 2022

Tuba: Please give us an overview of QIAGEN’s NeuMoDx 96 & 288 PCR test.

Anthony Ho: The NeuMoDx 288 and 96 systems are high throughput laboratory automation systems that combine patented extraction technologies, microfluidics, and silicon-based thermal cycling for fully automated, sample-to-answer, random-access molecular testing. Each system can process both commercial PCR assays and laboratory-developed tests.

Tuba: What makes NeuMoDx different from other PCR tests?

Anthony Ho: The NeuMoDx platform differs in its automation and complete workflow that can be loaded and accessed at any time. This is achieved through the use of microfluidic cartridges that hold all necessary reagents.

Tuba: What’s the difference between NeuMoDx 96 vs NeuMoDx 288?

Anthony Ho: The size and amount of samples that can be run on the system. The 96 is our mid-throughput system while the 288 is a high-throughput system that is slightly larger.

Tuba: Tell us about the recent US DoD funding announcement and what that funding means for you.

Anthony Ho: QIAGEN was recently awarded a $3.4 million contract by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to expand production capacity for COVID-19 tests running on NeuMoDx instruments at its site in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This will allow us to ramp up production capacity for these critical PCR tests to 20 million tests per year, up from the current level of about 10 million by March 2022.

Tuba: Will the tests be available for use by the general US population, or is it specifically for DoD use?

Anthony Ho: The contract stipulates the increased production volume of tests and consumables will support national laboratory testing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. However, there is no requirement or commitment for this expanded capacity to only serve the United States or the US military. The increased capacity is meant to bolster the availability of tests/diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 and mitigate the risk of future supply shortages.  

Tuba: Is QIAGEN marketing/planning to market NeuMoDx outside the US? If yes, please discuss this in detail.

Anthony Ho: QIAGEN is already marketing and selling the NeuMoDx platform and the expanding menu of tests to customers worldwide. Before taking over NeuMoDx completely, QIAGEN was the distribution partner for NeuMoDx instruments and tests for customers outside the US. The growing testing menu features more than 15 CE-marked assays for various viral and bacterial pathogens. Aside from assays for respiratory infections from SARS-CoV-2 to the 4-Plex test for Influenza A and B, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 covering the most common respiratory pathogens, there are tests for blood-borne viruses and post-transplant monitoring for CMV, EBV, and BKV. The menu also features assays covering sexual and reproductive health including HPV and Chlamydia trachomatis

Tuba: How is QIAGEN’s NeuMoDx different from other COVID diagnostic solutions (including PCR) provided by QIAGEN?

Anthony Ho: QIAGEN offers a comprehensive portfolio of SARS-CoV-2 testing solutions on the market, covering the needs of clinical and research customers, from manual to automated sample processing, low to high throughput, single-plex to multi-plex, and from active infection testing to the detection of previous viral exposure. We also have solutions for variant sequencing and mutation analysis in NGS.

Tuba: What are the uses for NeuMoDx beyond COVID diagnostics?

Anthony Ho: The instrument features an expanding menu of tests for various viral and bacterial pathogens, and there are tests for blood-borne viruses and post-transplant monitoring for CMV, EBV, and BKV. The menu also features assays covering sexual and reproductive health including HPV and Chlamydia trachomatis, so there are many tests that this instrument can automate and run in a lab outside of COVID-19 testing.

Tuba: Anything else you would like to tell us?

Anthony Ho: From our high throughput multiplex testing with NeuMoDx to syndromic testing with QIAstat-Dx, the artus SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit for manual targeted PCR to QIAreach Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Total Test (Anti-CoV2) for antibody testing, and our complete wastewater workflow solution, our goal is to offer our customers the solutions they need to fight this pandemic and better understand SARS-CoV-2.

Source: Healthline

About Author: Anthony Ho is the Global Head of Strategic Planning for Molecular Diagnostics at QIAGEN. He received a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis in Biological Sciences, Medical Microbiology, as well as his Master of Science from Georgetown University in Microbiology and Immunology

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