Thermo Fisher Scientific has expanded deployment model options for SampleManager LIMS software, offering laboratories end-to-end support of the software deployment in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.
Under a contract agreement, Thermo Fisher will manage the entire deployment process from installation and maintenance to backup and recovery. As a result, laboratories will benefit from significantly reduced financial and human resource investment associated with setting-up, running and maintaining traditional on-premise deployments or deployments to their own cloud hosting service.
At the same time, laboratories will retain control over the software upgrades and validation schedule, while taking advantage of unlimited and secure access to data from anywhere at any time, which will drive well-informed decision making and easier cross-collaboration. Furthermore, AWS Cloud deployment will enable unparalleled levels of scalability, with the LIMS expanding to meet evolving business needs.
Richard Milne, vice president and general manager of Digital Science, said: “Life science and industrial laboratories are increasingly adopting a cloud-first approach to enterprise-wide LIMS implementation. However, managing deployments to a laboratory’s own cloud hosting service can be a costly and resource-intensive process. We have developed the new cloud services to alleviate this burden and enable SampleManager LIMS software customers to use the system’s superior functionality and integration capabilities without having to invest significant resources into the setup and ongoing management of a cloud environment.”
The Cloud Services offering has been designed to provide optimal data security and protection. In addition to the security features available through standard AWS Cloud deployments, Thermo Fisher also implements its own robust Corporate Information Security (CIS) program, which outlines additional measures in line with security-by-design principles to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of data.

• For more information, visit: www.thermofisher.com

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ender diagnostics, a Swiss company specializing in the development of rapid molecular biological tests, has launched ender MASS, its second CE-marked test to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. US FDA clearance is anticipated in September this year.
ender MASS is highly specific, easy-to-use and fast – providing results from a simple nasopharyngeal swab in 30 minutes. It is designed to enable rapid diagnosis for critical settings including schools, manufacturing facilities, travel, hospitals and care homes, as well as enabling centralized laboratories to accelerate and increase throughput.
ender diagnostics specializes in isothermal PCR-based test kits for laboratory and on-site diagnosis. It launched the ender LAB test in June 2020, which enables laboratories to directly detect SARS-CoV-2 on standard real-time PCR devices within 30 minutes, significantly faster than currently available PCR tests, which take several hours.
The newly approved ender MASS offers further benefits by enabling detection in a simplified and accelerated process, considerably reducing the workload for medical professionals and laboratories. It is designed to enable on-site and pop-up labs to operate rapid testing in diverse settings, potentially including travel-related locations such as airports and cruise ships. The simplified workflows and analysis mean laboratories can process up to eight times as many tests compared to conventional PCR testing over the same period.
The company is also moving ahead with development of a mobile point-of-care test for acute COVID-19 cases, called ender MOBILE. Launch in Europe is planned during Autumn this year.

• For more information, visit: https://enderdiagnostics.com

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Horizon Discovery Group, a leader in the application of gene editing and gene modulation for cell line engineering, has added single cell RNAseq-linked pooled CRISPR screening to its CRISPR screening services portfolio. The platform offers high-quality screening data and biological insight to address critical gaps in target identification and validation.
This launch is the result of a collaboration, announced in 2018, to develop and apply this novel research tool to discover new biology essential for the development of future therapeutics. The biological insight gained from Horizon’s single cell RNAseq-linked CRISPR screening platform could help researchers gain further understanding into complex biological models and speed up the time from discovery to validation by integrating the effect of gene editing with complex gene expression mapping.
Horizon’s pooled format screens offer researchers access to highly robust whole-genome level analyses that yield quality data outputs. Currently, it can be challenging to adequately multiplex the data from these screens to evaluate complex biological phenomena occurring in a subset of edited cells. Coupling pooled CRISPR screening to single cell RNAseq allows the impact of CRISPR-based gene modification to be examined on a global transcriptomic scale at single cell resolution. This could enable scientists to address critical gaps in target identification and validation as they work to develop new and more effective therapeutics.
Terry Pizzie, Chief Executive Officer, Horizon Discovery, explained: “Pooled CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens have become a linchpin in drug target identification and validation. The development of our single cell RNAseq-linked pooled CRISPR screening service provides a substantial advance to Horizon’s screening capabilities. Our continuing development of cutting-edge services, including CRISPR screens in primary human immune cells, means we can offer our customers unparalleled insights into the biology that will help to underpin future drug and cell-based therapeutics.”

For more information, visit: https://horizondiscovery.com/en/navigation/screening/functional-genomic-screening

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A new series of controls for use with highly sensitive nucleic acid assays, ACCURUN 341 Nucleic Acid Positive controls for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (CT/NG) are designed to monitor and validate molecular diagnostic test performance. The controls are prepared with elementary bodies derived from cultured Chlamydia trachomatis and cultured colony-forming units of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This whole organism design closely simulates an actual patient sample, challenging every stage of the assay from sample extraction through amplification and detection. The controls do not require reconstitution or dilutions that could possibly introduce contamination or variation into the assay. They are specially designed for use on the four most popular platforms currently on the market. Instrument-specific vials allow the controls to be placed directly in the test platform.
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