Making fast and accurate diagnosis of influenza possible through an innovative cost-effective and easy-to-use diagnostic instrument. Ranger is a point of care (POC) diagnostic instrument thatanalyses DNA for specific diseases. It is an innovative solution to the immediate need for a rapid, robust, cost effective and user friendly POC diagnostic for influenza.
Less than an hour
Ranger is fast and really easy to use. The device takes samples of DNA in the form of a swab taken from the patient’s mouth. This is inserted into a test vial before being inserted into the analysis machine. The machine performs the same analysis as a laboratory would. The only difference is that Ranger returns results in less than an hour rather than many hours… a vital time saving that is critical in the fight against flu epidemics.
Fast, automated process
The €4.2m project – with funding secured by Pera Technology through the EU FP7 programme – has given rise to a robust, portable system that allows rapid testing at POC anywhere in the world. The whole test process is automated from the taking of the raw sample to the result. To further speed up the process, the system allows parallel processing of multiple samples and different sample types, both aspirates and swabs.
Cost effective
The Ranger system is very cost effective. Importantly, the system does not need an external computer or any other laboratory equipment. This enables tests to be taken anywhere, even in non-traditional healthcare environments.
High confidence results
The Ranger system provides high confidence PCR results equivalent to reference laboratory assays.
The system is:
- suitable for diagnosis of early stage infections where viral titres can be low
- applicable to late surveillance and can be used to confirm the results from lower cost, low performance screen tests such as antibody assays that have low sensitivity and specificity
- able to provide simultaneous identification of specific influenza strains and viral subtypes using multiplexing real-time PCR assays.