BALTIMORE, July 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), today announced the signing of an agreement with BioReference Laboratories of Elmwood Park, NJ for BD to supply BRLI with instrumentation and reagents for testing and diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STI).
Under this agreement testing for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae will be run on the SCARA(1) robotic automation platform, of the BD Viper(TM) System. BD will be the primary supplier to BioReference for testing of these two infectious diseases.
The BD Viper System has been proven to provide reliable automation and the highest quality laboratory results for sensitivity and specificity.
“I believe the BD Viper System is an excellent addition to our lab,” commented Warren Erdmann, Vice-President, General Manager of BioReference. “This equipment is consistent with our ongoing efforts to increase our use of quality automation. We have recently rolled out our Women’s Health Initiative program and the BD Viper System will provide a valuable contribution to the success of this program and the substantial growth in our business that we expect will result from this strategic effort.”
About BD Viper and SDA technology
The BD Viper System incorporates a SCARA robot that delivers robust performance by eliminating all pumps, syringes and reagent tubing, a major weakness of earlier-generation molecular automation. The BD Viper System automates most of the manual and semi-automated steps of the BD ProbeTec(TM) ET System, which utilizes the proven chemistry of BD’s proprietary Strand Displacement Amplification (SDA) that has been embraced by leading laboratories worldwide. The isothermal, real-time amplification and detection offered by SDA has greatly simplified complex molecular testing and made this technology more accessible to clinical laboratories.
About STI testing
Early and accurate diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections, specifically chlamydia and gonorrhea, leads to more timely and effective treatment, reduces the potential for the further spread of infection and helps ensure better patient outcomes. Left undetected and untreated in women, chlamydia can lead to infertility, tubal pregnancy and debilitating pelvic pain.
About BD
BD, a leading global medical technology company that makes and sells medical devices, instrumented systems and reagents, is dedicated to improving people’s health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug therapy, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and advancing research and discovery of new drugs and vaccines. The Company’s capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world’s most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs more than 25,000 people in approximately 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry and the general public. For more information, please visit http://www.bd.com.
(1) SCARA = Selective Compliance Assembly Robotic Arm
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)
CONTACT: Barbara Kalavik of BD Public Relations, +1-201-847-4209, orBarbara_Kalavik@bd.com
Web site: http://www.bd.com//
