altona Diagnostics launches CE-IVD marked AltoStar^® Molecular Diagnostic Workflow

Hamburg, April 19, 2018

altona Diagnostics GmbH, a diagnostic company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, today announced the launch of the recently developed and CE-IVD marked AltoStar^® Molecular Diagnostic Workflow. This flexible and efficient system automates the entire workflow from sample preparation to analysis. altona Diagnostics completed the product launch with a range of CE-marked real-time PCR kits such as CMV, EBV, BKV and Parvorvirus B19. Further assays (for example HHV-6, HSV, VZV, Adenovirus) will be launched also this year.  

Benefits including time and cost efficiency, high flexibility of operation and handling, as well as process reliability were important targets for the development of this new system. The AltoStar^® Automation System AM16, a pipetting workstation, in combination with the AltoStar^® Connect Software, is the centerpiece of the AltoStar^® workflow. This enables real-time PCR infectious disease testing, comprising nucleic acid purification, assay setup as well as automated cycler programming for amplification and detection.

The time-saving state-of-art software with its intuitive user interface guides the user through the entire workflow. Several features such as tracking of sample information, import of worklists, barcoded reagents for full process control as well as ready to use reagents assure process reliability and increased convenience.

“With a background of more than 20 years in the molecular diagnostics field and being aware of laboratory requirements nowadays, it was obvious for us to develop an automated solution for optimal assay performance due to full compatibility between purification and real-time PCR kits. For altona Diagnostics, this means a major step and we’re now playing in the Champions league. Of course, we will preserve our tradition of acting fast, flexibly, reliably and close to the customer’s needs, while still maintaining our down-to-earth mentality“, said Dr. Ulrich Spengler, Managing Director altona Diagnostics GmbH.

To find out more about the AltoStar^® Molecular Diagnostic Workflow, visit us at the ECCMID 2018 – 28^th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, which will take place in Madrid, Spain, from 21 – 24 April 2018.

about altona

altona Diagnostics, founded in 2007 and based in Hamburg, Germany, is focused on developing and manufacturing molecular diagnostic test systems for the detection and quantification of pathogens related to human infectious diseases. altona Diagnostics is ISO 13485 certified and manufactures under cGMP guidelines. Among other activities, altona Diagnostics was one of the first companies to make reliable molecular diagnostic kits commercially available during outbreak situations for SARS, EHEC, MERS, Ebolavirus and Zika virus.