Molecular Detection Inc. Launches Improved Version of Detect-Ready(R) MRSA Panel at 2012 ECCMID Congress

LONDON and WAYNE, Pa., March 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular Detection Inc. (MDI), a company developing Detect-Ready® tests designed to increase the speed and accuracy of infectious disease diagnosis, today announced it will release a new version of its Detect-Ready MRSA Panel at the 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). The superior performance of the Detect-Ready MRSA Panel has been further enhanced by increasing the number of MRSA strains it can detect, adding MRSA strains known to be missed by at least one other market-leading assay to the universe of all known common MRSA strains that were already included. The new kit also shortens the sample preparation process and minimizes required "hands-on" time.

The Detect-Ready MRSA Panel is a qualitative real-time PCR in vitro diagnostic test. It is CE-marked for the detection of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and MSSA (methicillin-sensitive S. aureus) and is the only marketed PCR-based MRSA screening test with the proven ability to discriminate accurately between these pathogens and other related bacteria.

"We are delighted to offer this improved version of the Detect-Ready MRSA Panel to our growing customer base," commented David Wilson, MDI's Vice President for Commercial Operations, Europe. "The inclusion of additional covered MRSA strains reinforces the superior performance of our existing test, which was recently reconfirmed in an independent comparative study with a market leading competitor. In addition, the simplicity and ease-of-use of Detect-Ready MRSA is further enhanced with our new streamlined protocol for sample prep."

Comparative data confirming the greater accuracy of the Detect-Ready MRSA panel was generated by researchers at St. Thomas' Hospital in London as part of an academic study. The study compared the performance of MDI's test and the Becton Dickinson GeneOhm MRSA PCR sold by BD Diagnostics. The researchers concluded that the Detect-Ready MRSA assay is superior to the GeneOhm panel in terms of specificity, while still providing a more rapid screening service compared to traditional microbiology culture methods.*

Detect-Ready kits are compatible with a number of the real time-PCR platforms currently found in most hospitals. Samples for testing are simple to obtain using nasal swabs and the kit's ready-to-use pre-mixed reagents require only the addition of patient sample to run the test, which provides results in less than three hours. Unlike other tests that require special handling, Detect-Ready kits are off-the-shelf room temperature-stabilized and require no refrigeration.

The Detect-Ready MRSA Panel is currently available in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Australia and Israel, and is in late-stage development in the US.

To learn more about the Detect-Ready MRSA Panel at ECCMID, visit Launch Diagnostics, MDI's distributor for the UK, France and Ireland, at Booth 577, or Alere, MDI's distributor for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, at Booth 615, or visit www.detect-ready.com.

The 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases will be held in London, UK from March 31 to April 3, 2012. For more information, visit www.congrex.ch/eccmid2012/home.html.

* A Comparative Study of Two MRSA PCR Assays,Sarah L. White, Eugene P. Halligan, Penelope R. Cliff Infection Sciences, GSTS Pathology, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, UK, 2011.

About Molecular Detection
Molecular Detection Inc. (MDI), a US-based company with offices in Wayne, PA, Tunbridge Wells, UK and Jerusalem, Israel, is developing and commercializing a portfolio of sample-to-answer Detect-Ready^® molecular diagnostic tests for the detection of infectious diseases. The company's first product, a ready-to-use, rapid detection panel for hospital-based MRSA screening, is currently commercially available in the EU, Australia and the Middle East. The Detect-Ready MRSA Panel provides increased accuracy, faster time to results and more efficient utilization of hospital resources compared to other MRSA diagnostic products. MDI's real-time PCR tests are based on novel patented technologies for differential diagnosis and room-temperature stabilization. For more information, visit www.detect-ready.com.

SOURCE Molecular Detection Inc.