Meridian Launches New Air-Dryable™ qPCR Mix Enabling Direct Detection of RNA from Whole Blood Samples

CINCINNATI, Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO), a leading global provider of diagnostic testing solutions and life science raw materials, announced today the launch of its new Air-Dryable™ Direct RNA/DNA qPCR Blood Mix. Meridian designed this innovative master mix to develop room-temperature stable molecular diagnostic assays that directly amplify RNA from crude whole blood, serum, or plasma. This new offering adds to the innovative portfolio of sample-specific master mixes that Meridian has created to help molecular diagnostic manufacturers develop assays faster.

The ability of qPCR to screen directly from blood samples provides faster and highly sensitive detection of viral infections such as HIV, HBV, or HCV, but also bacterial infections, hereditary diseases, and forensic analyses. Blood can also be used as a non-invasive liquid biopsy for examining circulating tumor DNA, RNA, or cells, which is essential in cancer management, allowing prognosis, diagnosis, and monitoring following treatment. However, PCR inhibitors often found in blood samples can produce false-negative results or reduced limit-of-detection ("LOD") unless costly and time-consuming DNA/RNA purification is used.  Meridian's new Air-Dryable™ Direct RNA/DNA qPCR Blood Mix can be used on crude samples and eliminates the need for an extraction step. It uses specialized enzymes and an advanced buffer formulation pre-optimized specifically for whole blood, serum, and plasma. The blood master mix was designed to be compatible with air-drying in an oven while maintaining the highest activity and sensitivity.  Air-Dryable technology replaces the need for lyophilization with fast, simple, and inexpensive oven-drying procedures, making it ideal for manufacturing room-temperature stable, highly sensitive, and cost-effective molecular diagnostic assays.

Diane Szydel, Vice President, Global Life Science Commercial Operations at Meridian, commented, "The Air-Dryable™ Direct RNA/DNA qPCR Blood Mix provides a diagnostic developer with a ready to use master mix that has already addressed all the complex inhibitors present in blood, allowing for the development of simpler and faster assays. In addition, Meridian's air-dryable technology overcomes the time and cost associated with cold storage or lyophilization, allowing manufacturers full control of their entire manufacturing workflow."

Meridian is committed to supplying innovative solutions to the diagnostic industry to simplify and accelerate the development of superior diagnostic assays. For more information on leveraging Air-Dryable™ technology for your assay development, please visit https://meridianlifescience.com/air-dryable-mixes or email Diane.Szydel@meridianlifescience.com.

About Meridian Bioscience, Inc.
Meridian is a fully integrated life science company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of innovative diagnostic products. We are dedicated to developing and delivering better solutions that give answers with speed, accuracy and simplicity that are redefining the possibilities of life from discovery to diagnosis. Through discovery and development, we provide critical life science raw materials used in immunological and molecular tests for human, animal, plant, and environmental applications. Through diagnosis, we provide diagnostic solutions in areas including gastrointestinal and upper respiratory infections and blood lead level testing. We build relationships and provide solutions to hospitals, reference laboratories, research centers, veterinary testing centers, physician offices, diagnostics manufacturers, and biotech companies in more than 70 countries around the world.

Meridian's shares are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, symbol VIVO. Meridian's website address is www.meridianbioscience.com.

Contact:
Charlie Wood
Vice President – Investor Relations
Meridian Bioscience, Inc.
Phone:  +1 513.271.3700
Email: mbi@meridianbioscience.com

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SOURCE Meridian Bioscience, Inc.