Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19, public health laboratories and researchers have been developing surveillance methods using wastewater to control the spread of the virus. The effort has helped identify asymptomatic carriers on college campuses to monitor regional spread among communities and capture emerging mutations ahead of potential future outbreaks.
To support these efforts, Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced the MagMAX wastewater ultra nucleic acid isolation kit.
Unlike testing methods like nasal swabs, wastewater testing can access infection rates among a general population up to two weeks earlier than individual or pooled testing. The MagMAX wastewater ultra nucleic acid isolation kit offers flexible, easy-to-implement solution for labs setting up new surveillance programmes or incorporating SARS-CoV-2 testing into existing ones. Combined with Thermo Fisher’s portfolio of products to support the entire workflow, such as KingFisher purification systems and QuantStudio qPCR platforms, the kit provides an end-to-end solution for detecting SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater.
Ellie Mahjubi, vice-president and general manager, sample preparation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, commented: “As COVID-19 perseveres as a global health threat, wastewater surveillance has become increasingly prevalent. Labs need reliable, fast and scalable methods for monitoring viruses and other infections agents in our communities. The MagMAX wastewater kits offer a flexible, easy-to-use solution that works with existing protocols.”
The MagMAX wastewater ultra nucleic acid isolation kit is compatible with a range of input volumes ranging from 200µl to 500ml, and works with various upfront concentration methods, including ultracentrifugation, precipitation, and filtration. For labs in need of an automated viral enrichment method, the MagMAX wastewater ultra nucleic acid isolation kit with virus enrichment uses Dynabeads technology to automate and streamline sample concentration.
