Materials and Machines Corporation (MatMaCorp) has introduced its new handheld device MY Real-Time Analyzer (MYRTA), which can carry out polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and real-time fluorescent detection.
Weighing less than a pound and easily fitting in the hand, the device can identify DNA or RNA targets in an hour.
MYRTA was developed to offer portable, PCR-based molecular diagnostic solutions for human and animal health. Using the existing testing format, it can process a sample with up to three different tests and offer near quantitative data, including a cycle threshold value.
Based on fluorescence detection technology, the device can run isothermal or PCR conditions (cycling between various temperatures), based on the various requirements for identifying DNA or RNA.
MatMaCorp founder and president Dr Abe Oommen said: “The ability to detect nucleic acids in real-time while running PCR amplification directly from the sample is a game changer in molecular diagnostics.
“Our flexible, robust and portable MYRTA device will enable the use of PCR in numerous situations, making point-of-care and over-the-counter PCR-based testing possible in any part of the globe.”
The device can simultaneously conduct PCR amplification and rapid, real-time fluorescence detection.
Apart from human health applications, the MYRTA system can be utilised in animal health, as it can potentially identify porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). PRRSV causes pigs to develop a major respiratory disease.
Over the next months, MatMaCorp intends to seek an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Covid-19 from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the MYRTA system.
In January, the FDA granted EUA to MatMaCorp’s Covid-19 2SF RNA test for SARS-CoV-2 detection on its Solas 8 portable detection system.
