Mawi DNA’s Extractionless Sample Collection Technology Enables BioTech Africa Launch of Affordable COVID-19 Mass Testing Platform

Mawi DNA Technologies’ iSWAB-Microbiome-EL sample collection technology enables BioTech Africa to implement and launch a new ultra-high throughput COVID-19 testing program. This breakthrough, in conjunction with the ProbeSure™ COVID-19 One Step RT-PCR Kit from 3CR Bioscience, is designed to scale up to a capacity of 200,000 tests per day.

“We are extremely proud and humbled to be part of South Africa’s fight against COVID-19 through BioTech Africa’s mass testing efforts,” said Dr. Bassam El-Fahmawi, President and CTO, Mawi DNA Technologies.

In addition, Dr. Jenny Leslie, COO of BioTech Africa, worked closely with Scilutions Labware and Hook Diagnostics to identify the best products and supplier partners who could provide reagents to streamline the testing workflow, but also scale to the projected numbers with minimal supply chain disruption.

“For the sample collection step, Mawi DNA Technologies’ iSWAB-Microbiome-EL (‘Extractionless’) product was chosen for its multiple benefits. This includes enabling direct PCR by removing the RNA extraction step along with extended room temperature stabilization of viral RNA. iSWAB technology also enables simple and efficient non-invasive self-collection, a key component of BioTech Africa’s testing strategy to encourage widespread compliance,” said Dr. Leslie. She added, “When used in tandem with the 3CR Bioscience ProbeSure™ kit, we can provide high throughput testing and faster sample-to-result turnaround time, while significantly reducing reagents, plastics and testing workflow footprint.”

“iSWAB room temperature sample collection and stabilization technology has been well validated in the field with millions of samples tested thus far,” said Dr. Bassam El-Fahmawi. He added that Mawi DNA was pleased to work with Scilutions Labware and Hook Diagnostics to deploy its products on a global scale to help alleviate the socioeconomic impact that COVID-19 brought on the world.

Hook Diagnostics CEO Simon Kratzat added, “Our mission at Hook Diagnostics is to enable affordable population scale testing. We are honored to make this a reality for BioTech Africa together with Mawi DNA, 3CR and Scilutions.”

About Mawi DNA Technologies

Mawi DNA Technologies has developed and commercialized the iSWAB technology, an innovative system for collection of biosamples. Its flagship product iSWAB-DNA has gained significant market traction due to its ability to be used for animals and all human population segments from infants to the elderly, with robust DNA yield and low bacterial DNA content. iSWAB-Microbiome has gained worldwide acceptance as a superior collection technology for COVID-19 samples. Mawi DNA has expanded its offerings to include collection technologies for intact cells and whole blood. For more information, visit http://www.mawidna.com.

About BioTech Africa

BioTech Africa specializes in recombinant protein production and bioprocessing. Driven by the global requirement for improved in vitro diagnostics, its current range of highly purified recombinant proteins are used in the manufacture of diagnostic test kits for point of care rapid diagnostics and research institutions. BioTech Africa offers a variety of protein expression platforms along with a host of other protein services, including protein refolding and structural biology analysis. For more information, visit http://www.biotechafrica.com.

About Scilutions Labware

Scilutions is an innovative manufacturer of scientific products. Through collaboration with the academic, industrial and scientific communities, its manufacturing capabilities are aligned to ensure that the company is optimized to support critical biomedical operations. For more information, visit http://www.scilutionslabware.com.

About 3CR Bioscience

3CR Bioscience is a world-leading manufacturer of innovative PCR-based reagents. Primary products, PACE™ and ProbeSure™, are used in hundreds of institutions worldwide, from small academic labs to large multinational companies. 3CR has developed the ProbeSure™ COVID-19 One Step RT-PCR Kit which combines high sensitivity and specificity with low cost and has been designed for use in real-time or high-throughput endpoint processes. For more information visit https://3crbio.com/.

About Hook Diagnostics

Hook Diagnostics is committed to making worldwide population-scale testing faster and more affordable using only the most high quality and cutting edge tools available. For more information, visit http://www.hookdx.com.