Tools speed contaminant detection

Millipore and the newly formed Roka Bioscience say they are jointly developing molecular assays and portable instruments for biopharmaceutical production. Roka is a spinoff of Gen-Probe.

The joint effort is aimed at speeding the detection of microbial contamination so biopharma manufacturers can take corrective actions earlier in the production process, limiting contamination impact. The earlier intervention is expected to reduce downstream processing risks and optimize product yields, according to an announcement.

The work is based on a Millipore and Gen-Probe partnership dating to 2005. It led to the MilliPROBE system, which combines Millipore sample prep methodologies with Gen-Probe nucleic acid technologies for speed and sensitivity in one microbial screening tool. MilliPROBE uses real-time transcription-mediated amplification technology to detect contaminants.

The partners have one assay on the market for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and are developing a second assay for Mycoplasma.

- here's the announcement

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