LexaGene has partnered with Ethos Veterinary Health, which has hospitals across the U.S., to test canine urine samples on LexaGene’s prototype LX6 diagnostic tool for more effective, rapid and on-site pathogen detection. The samples have been previously characterized using conventional technologies such as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry at LexaGene’s reference laboratory, the company said. The organization is currently developing the LX6 tool as an open access, fully automated platform that allows end users to load real-time PCR assays. It will process six samples at a time and return results in around an hour, according to the company. “Veterinarians at Ethos will send LexaGene clinical annotated samples for processing, which will allow our team to continue to fine-tune and perfect our pathogen detection prototype’s testing capabilities,” said Jack Regan, Ph.D., LexaGene CEO. “This process is vital as we improve sensitivity to different isolates. We expect this to be a long-lasting collaboration as we work together to bring the best product possible to the veterinary market.” “We’ve recently performed a market assessment for LexaGene’s technology by interviewing many emergency and critical care veterinarians, and—coupled with an internal financial assessment of the cost of conventional testing versus LexaGene’s projected testing costs—the results argue strongly for adopting this technology once available,” said Chand Khanna, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, chief science officer, Ethos Veterinary Health.
