HUDDINGE, Sweden, April 24, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Karolinska Hospital has selected LightUp Technologies' first probe product, ReSSQ(TM) CMV Assay, to become their routine method for detection and quantification of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), replacing their previous testing process.
The hospital selected ReSSQ CMV Assay after a thorough validation study led by Dr. Benita Zweygberg Wirgart. The study concluded that the ReSSQ CMV Assay could be accurately used in combination with Roche LightCycler to obtain qualitative and quantitative analysis of CMV DNA in various types of patient sample material. As a result, the hospital's former routine methods will be replaced with the LightUp ReSSQ CMV Assay in combination with the Roche LightCycler.
"We are very pleased to have Karolinska as our first customer," said Ulrica Sehlstedt, CEO of LightUp Technologies. "Since Karolinska is one of the largest and most prestigious hospitals in the Nordic countries, and also well known outside the Nordic countries, they are a very important reference customer to us."
Karolinska Hospital is the first institution to contract with LightUp Technologies to provide this product on a commercial basis and will serve as a reference for other customers in determining how the product can be applied in a clinical setting. "We will be working closely with Karolinska to further refine the product for their benefit," Sehlstedt said. "In the future, we expect the ReSSQ CMV Assay to gain worldwide use in helping to shorten diagnostic times and provide alternative methods of detection and quantification for CMV." Advantages of the ReSSQ CMV Assay The new assay is part of LightUp Technologies' product line called ReSSQ (Real-time, Sensitive, Specific, Quantitative), designed for quantitative determinations. The advantages of the ReSSQ CMV Assay, the first LightUp probe product available today, are that it:
-- Offers fast, reproducible and reliable viral load results. -- Is easy to use on a variety of real-time PCR platforms. -- Includes extraction/inhibition control. -- Comes with software for viral load calculation. -- Is accompanied by customer training, service and support.
ReSSQ CMV Assay quantifies CMV DNA in various types of clinical samples using LightUp(TM) Probes in combination with real-time PCR amplification of a highly conserved region of the CMV genome. The LightUp Probe consists of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) tethered to a single reporter dye that becomes fluorescent -- lights up -- upon binding to a chosen target DNA. The generated fluorescence intensity is proportional to the amount of target DNA present.
At each annealing step, the LightUp Probe binds to its target sequence located in the amplified fragment. Consequently, the PCR instrument is programmed to measure the fluorescence signal during the annealing phase of each PCR cycle. A PCR run typically consists of 45 cycles and by plotting the measured fluorescence intensity versus the PCR cycle number amplification curves are obtained.
About LightUp Probes LightUp Probes are short peptide nucleic acids that contain a nucleic acid stain molecule covalently bound to the primary amine of the final residue of the PNA sequence. In this configuration, the nucleic acid stain is essentially non-fluorescent. Hybridization of these molecules to target sequences results in a large increase in fluorescence. Hybridization can occur during nucleic acid amplification or simply upon hybridization to target sequences in samples.
About Karolinska Hospital
Karolinska Hospital, www.ks.se, is one of the largest university hospitals in Sweden and is located in the country's capital city, Stockholm. Karolinska is a county hospital, but is closely affiliated with the adjacent university, Karolinska Institute. Over the past 60 years, the hospital has developed a world-class reputation for medical excellence and participates in numerous ongoing clinical studies.
About LightUp Technologies AB
LightUp Technologies AB is a company developing new solutions for the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry. Our activities are focused on developing and bringing to the market cutting-edge molecular based technologies for medical diagnostic uses. First among these technologies is the LightUp(TM) Probe, which can be used to identify and quantify the presence of bacteria or viruses. The technique offers a simpler, more accurate method for real-time PCR and can be used in many medical applications, including gene mapping and disease diagnostics. LightUp Technologies was founded in 1998 and is located in Huddinge, south of Stockholm, Sweden.
For more information, visit our web site at www.lightup.se