California's Cepheid unveiled the GeneXpert Omni, a flexible and portable clinical molecular diagnostic system designed to meet the needs of the Point-of-Care market.

The company explained that at just 9 inches tall, and weighing just 2.2 pounds, the GeneXpert Omni will run the same high quality PCR-based Xpert cartridges as Cepheid's existing family of GeneXpert Systems, enabling highly accurate clinical molecular diagnostic tests to be performed in any near-patient testing environment, including CLIA-waived physician offices, clinics and specialty settings.

"Building on the accuracy, speed and ease-of-use that users expect from Cepheid's GeneXpert Systems, the GeneXpert Omni offers an even more streamlined user experience, with an advanced user interface that runs on a portable tablet or smartphone," said John Bishop, Cepheid's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The GeneXpert Omni is also wireless and web-enabled, setting a new standard in connectivity to transmit instrument and test information in real-time, supporting our customers' goals to cost-effectively improve clinical outcomes and increase patient satisfaction."

"Recognizing the need for faster test results in the Point-of-Care environment, Cepheid expects to launch even faster Xpert tests in conjunction with the availability of the GeneXpert Omni," said David Persing, Cepheid's Chief Medical and Technology Officer. "Compared to an average run-time of about an hour today, we are further optimizing every stage within the cartridge with a goal of delivering test results in as little as 15 minutes, starting with our Xpert Xpress Group A Strep assay."

The GeneXpert Omni is on display at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from July 28th to 30th , 2015. The system is expected to be available for commercial Point of Care customers in late 2016. The first test for the GeneXpert Omni is expected to be Xpert Flu/RSV.