The Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory (SDCL) has chosen the Fluidigm BioMark HD System as a cornerstone technology for its laboratory in Regina, Canada.
Operated by the province's Ministry of Health, the SDCL offers a variety of services to the public health institutions in the province, that include testing and monitoring of environmental specimens, food-borne illnesses, communicable diseases, influenza and a neonatal screening program.
A set of real-time PCR based tests, developed by SDCL, will be used in conjunction with the BioMark HD System to rapidly identify pathogens and detect a wide range of respiratory and enteric diseases.
The BioMark HD System uses Fluidigm's distinctive microfluidic-based integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) to turn around up to 9,216 tests in parallel within hours of receiving the sample from the clinic.
Fluidigm president and CEO Gajus Worthington said that the emergence of super-bugs over the past few years has placed a spotlight on the critical role disease control labs such as the SDCL play in keeping all of us safe.
"New strains of influenza and emerging diseases require outstanding science, rapid response and a willingness to embrace the best technology the world has to offer," Worthington added.
