December 21, 2021 – Thermo Fisher Scientific announced an update to its Applied Biosystems TaqMan SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Panel to enable direct detection of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant.
The panel is designed with a customizable menu of real-PCR genotyping assays to accurately identify known SARS-COV-2 variants in just over an hour.
The new assays were developed two weeks after the WHO classified Omicron as a variant of concern, enabling public health laboratories to quickly evolve their surveillance testing programs in response.
The TaqMan SARS CoV-2 Mutation Panel is compatible with real-time PCR instruments already commonly used in laboratories around the world. Labs can choose from a menu of over 50 known mutations of SARS-CoV-2 to build their unique panel, which is designed to be highly scalable, and run up to several hundred samples to monitor for one or multiple mutations simultaneously. This empowers labs to be flexible based on the testing needs in their area, the company says.
This test is intended for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.