Qiagen has announced the launch of two syndromic testing panels for its QIAstat-Dx instruments in India, including the Gastrointestinal Panel 2 and Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel, which join the Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panel that had been authorised for emergency use in 2020 first time.

The panels have received regulatory approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), enabling healthcare providers in India to diagnose patients accurately, faster, and easier.

The QIAstat-Dx system is designed for use in laboratories and employs cost-efficient, single-use cartridges with all reagents on board and built-in sample processing. Utilising multiplex real-time PCR, it detects and differentiates between multiple pathogens. QIAstat-Dx additionally provides easy-to-view cycle threshold (Ct) values and amplification curves that can offer additional insights not available with end-point PCR or other techniques.

The QIAstat-Dx Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel analyses 15 viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens in patients with suspected central nervous system infections simultaneously and provides results in just 80 minutes, enabling clinicians to select appropriate therapies in a timely manner. The QIAstat-Dx Gastrointestinal Panel 2 can identify 22 clinically relevant bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens that cause most GI infections in about an hour. This panel offers significant advantages over traditional microbiological testing, which often requires samples to be incubated for at least 24 hours and up to 10 days. The QIAstat-Dx Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panel can detect 23 viral and bacterial pathogens causing respiratory infections.