R-Biopharm starts commercialization of the fully automated RIDA®UNITY system for real-time PCR in molecular diagnostic laboratories

Darmstadt, July 19, 2022 – As a fully integrated solution, the new and completely automated RIDA®UNITY system combines sample extraction, PCR setup, real-time PCR and result evaluation in a common workflow. The biotechnology company R-Biopharm AG announced today that it has received the CE mark and will begin selling the new, fully automated RIDA®UNITY system for molecular detection of infectious diseases throughout Europe.

"With the RIDA®UNITY system, R-Biopharm is purposefully taking the path from a provider of individual solutions to a system provider in the field of molecular diagnostics," stated Christian Dreher, CEO of R-Biopharm. "We are very happy to make this system solution available to all molecular biology laboratories throughout Europe."

Unique combination of different tools

The RIDA®UNITY system combines the various steps in the analysis of patient samples into an integrated workflow – nucleic acid extraction, PCR setup, subsequent real-time PCR and the evaluation of the results run fully automatically without user intervention. The ready-to-use RIDA®UNITY reagents significantly reduce the preparation times in the laboratory. The RIDA®UNITY Universal Extraction Kit allows the universal extraction of nucleic acids from both gastrointestinal and respiratory patient samples in a common workflow and was specifically developed and optimized by R-Biopharm. Up to six different RIDA®UNITY PCR assays can now be individually combined and processed.

The software especially developed for the RIDA®UNITY system supports the user with its simple and intuitive operation – from loading the required consumables and positioning the PCR reagents on the deck up to evaluating the final results. The RIDA®UNITY system supports molecular diagnostic laboratories with its flexibility in dealing with quickly changing requirements and thus noticeably facilitates everyday work in the laboratory.

"Today we can finally present the result of an incredible effort of diverse teams and many colleagues both from internal as well as external sources," says Dr. Lena Kastl, Vice President Clinical Diagnostics at R-Biopharm. "R-Biopharm's many years of product development and manufacturing expertise and the productive cooperation with various partners made the roll-out of this new molecular diagnostic platform possible. Thanks to its efficient, intuitive and universal application options, RIDA®UNITY will significantly support and improve workflow and capacities in the laboratories in the future.”

The RIDA®UNITY System, the RIDA®UNITY Universal Extraction Kit and the RIDA®UNITY Bacterial Stool Panel are now available for sale throughout Europe. Further assays for gastrointestinal and respiratory pathogens will follow in the coming months.