Sample collection for surveillance and ongoing research is critical

The presenter identifies critical needs for COVID-19 sample collection across surveillance and research contexts, including recurring testing in institutions and one-time testing for travel and events. Current nasopharyngeal and anterior nasal swab methods are invasive and can cause discomfort or complications.

Thermo Fisher offers two saliva-based collection options: SpeciMax for raw saliva requiring heat inactivation with 5-day storage at 4°C, and SpeciMax Stabilized for room-temperature storage up to 7 days with built-in viral inactivation. Both kits include funnels and collection tubes with simple instructions.

Automated sample preparation reduces laboratory variability and increases throughput consistency. Thermo Fisher offers KingFisher automation systems ranging from low-throughput DuoPrime (6-12 samples) to medium-throughput Flex/Apex (96-240 samples) to ultra-high-throughput Presto systems compatible with robotic liquid handlers.

The KingFisher Apex is a cloud-enabled magnetic particle processor with heating/cooling capabilities, barcode scanning, UV decontamination, and an intuitive touchscreen interface for writing or editing protocols directly on the instrument. It enables efficient magnetic particle-based nucleic acid extraction.

The KingFisher SpeciaTrax automated sample transfer system uncaps and recaps collection tubes, performs barcode-based sessioning, uses a robotic arm for contamination-free sample movement, and includes dual pipette headers with fluid-sensing tips for accurate aliquoting. It is optimized for SpeciMax saliva collection devices.

Process transferred samples using KingFisher magnetic particle processors (Apex or Flex) with MagMAX nucleic acid extraction kits. Perform detection using TaqMan chemistries on Applied Biosystems QuantStudio real-time PCR instruments for COVID-19 identification.