As the flu season is upon us, it might be a good moment to talk about PCR testing. Our Clinical Study Manager, PhD Jari Martelin can shed a little light on the matter. Jari’s educational background is in clinical microbiology, and he has a long track record in infection diagnosis.

Nowadays his main responsibility in Uniogen is to coordinate the clinical performance testing for PCR tests in development. Jari finds the highly regulated field of new tests both very demanding and fulfilling. Helping the healthcare professionals at the laboratories and hospitals to perform accurate diagnostics which in turn helps selecting the right treatment and appropriate preventive interventions for the patients is most rewarding.

After the pandemic years the flu seasons are back

Due to the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic a few years went without any significant peaks in the influenza statistics, but now the number of cases has risen again. Therefore, it is important to identify the cause of the infection in question. Our GenomEra® SARS-CoV-2, Flu A/B + RSV 2.0 PCR test is a very practical solution for fast detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2, Flu A, Flu B, and Respiratory syncytial virus. It is an improved test that follows our next-generation SARS-CoV-2 2.0 PCR test.

Reliable PCR testing leads to better and quicker decisions

Home testing for COVID-19 is something we’ve all tried at some point of the pandemic, however the accuracy and sensitivity of the home tests are nowhere near the performance of Uniogen’s GenomEra® PCR tests. While the sensitivity of a home test can be as low as 60%, our tests sensitivity is nearly 100%. Other considerable advantages include low space requirements, small required sample volume, and very straightforward sample processing protocol.

Uniogen’s SARS-CoV-2, Flu A/B + RSV 2.0 is a valuable tool for example in small- and mid-size laboratories when diagnosing respiratory tract infection outbreaks in hospitals, nursing homes and retirement homes. “The test has proven very effective in hospitals and occupational health care, when targeting the right treatment for severely ill individuals”, Jari says. “Testing just for the fun of it makes of course no sense. The test result must have meaning in the decision making.”