LexaGene says its MiQLab diagnostic testing system can detect the pathogen that causes plague

LexaGene Holdings Inc (OTCQB:LXXGF) (CVE:LXG) (FRA:5XS2) has announced that CEO Dr Jack Regan will present at the Biothreat and Pathogen Detection Conference regarding MiQLab system’s ability to detect the pathogen that causes plague.  The company noted that plague is arguably the deadliest pathogen of all time and it is classified by the government as a Category A Bioterrorism agent.  To demonstrate MiQLab’s capabilities for biothreat agent detection, LexaGene said it developed a plague test and completed an analytical evaluation with contrived samples.  READ: LexaGene sells MiQLab diagnostic testing system to Alpine Veterinary Hospital in California “I’m extremely pleased with the quality of our plague test,” said Dr Regan in a statement. “In silico analysis showed close to 100% coverage of all plague genomes. Analytical studies showed our test to correlate extremely closely with quantitative culture. Our test is also very sensitive, as we were able to reliably detect levels 1000-fold lower than levels of this bacterium commonly detected in the blood of infected patients.” He added: “Lastly, in an exclusivity study, our test did not cross-react with any of the tested phylogenetically related microorganisms. These high-quality test results are a testament to the MiQLab’s capabilities as a surveillance and detection tool when faced with a natural or intentional biothreat.” MiQLab delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection. It can test for 27 pathogens and returns results in about one hour versus one to three days at a lab.  LexaGene said the virtual 28th International Biothreat and Pathogen Detection Conference is an internationally recognized meeting for experts in the detection and identification of biological threats. The conference addresses key topics in pathogen detection and presents the latest R&D and technological innovations in rapid pathogen identification.  In addition, experts will meet to focus on the latest strategies to overcome the hurdles surrounding the rapid identification of global biological threats and bringing new technologies from the lab to the field. “Our MiQLab System is both open-access and designed for point-of-care use, making it a first-of-its-kind system,” said Dr Regan, who will speak today (June 17). “These unique features are critical for early point-of-care diagnoses, which improves the probability for successful biocontainment of novel pathogens.”  He noted that the past 18 months have highlighted “how badly humanity needs advanced technologies like the MiQLab” to more successfully contain a novel pathogen like coronavirus that’s capable of causing a pandemic.  “MiQLab is uniquely suited to fill the massive technology gap in our testing infrastructure as it has the potential to drastically reduce the response time from initial identification of a novel pathogen to the rapid deployment of new detection tests at the point of care,” Dr Regan said. “Minimizing this response time significantly improves the chances of successful pathogen containment so that countless lives can be saved.” Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham