You Do Bio is pleased to announce that it has recently signed an agreement to represent the transplant monitoring company BFS Molecular in Scandinavia. This post gives an overview of the technology available from BFS Molecular.

BFS Molecular’s State-of-the-Art Solutions for Post-Transplant Monitoring

Graft rejection is a looming threat for patients undergoing transplantation. If rejection does occur, urgent remedial measures can make the difference.Herein lies the importance of effective post-transplant monitoring, particularly for the detection of early signs of rejection.

BFS molecular is leveraging advances in genomics, particularly NGS and non-invasive testing to bring new possibilities in the realm of post-transplant monitoring.

BFS Molecular is a global molecular diagnostics company dedicated to transforming post-transplant monitoring. Their goal is to enhance post-transplantation care by providing innovative products for the comprehensive testing and management of graft health. Their cutting-edge post-transplant assays enable early detection of transplant rejection or disease relapse which is crucial for timely adjustments in treatment to ensure graft survival.

BFS Molecular ‘s arsenal of products is based on the latest NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) technology, using the reliable and scalable Illumina platforms. They offer three key products:

• StemScan™—post-transplant monitoring test for hematopoietic stem cell transplants.
• OrganScan™—post-transplant monitoring test for solid organ transplants.
• Graftrack™—complete post-transplant monitoring software solution.

A brief review of these products and their most important features follows.

StemScan™

StemScan™ is a laboratory assay and software kit that offers sensitive, comprehensive, and consistent post-transplant chimerism monitoring for allogeneic HSCT (Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant) patients. It can reach 0.1% sensitivity. For comparison, current gold standard forensic STR (Short Tandem Repeat) tests reach 1% sensitivity. The upshot is early detection, rapid intervention, and better patient outcomes.

Download the StemScan Brochure

OrganScan™

OrganScan™ is a noninvasive monitoring assay and software kit meant to be used for solid organ transplantations. It rapidly identifies graft damage by assessing an increase in donor-derived DNA in the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) population of the recipient. This advanced underlying technology obviates the need for invasive protocol biopsies.

OrganScan™ uses CELL3™ XTRACT cfDNA extraction kits and CELL3™ Preserver whole blood stabilization tubes by Nonacus. CELL3™ XTRACT works perfectly with NGS (elution volumes can be as low as 35μl) and ensures highly accurate quantitation of cfDNA.

Download the OrganScan Brochure

Key Features of StemScan™ and OrganScan™

• Easy batch processing and automation-friendliness, with the same tests applied for all samples.
• Consistent sensitivity across samples with an extremely comprehensive panel of over 200 biomarkers spread across all 23 chromosomes.
• Convenient routine testing of 16+ samples simultaneously owing to a preparation time of less than 10 hours (2 hours hands on).
• Unique and fast bioinformatic analysis using BFS Molecular’s Graftrack™ software, including a support suite for post-transplant monitoring, tracking multiple indicators over time, and sample batch management.
• Reagents for library preparation, capture enrichment, and dual indexed molecular barcoding of 16, 48 or 96 samples, for sequencing together on an Illumina sequencer.
• Quality and reliability are guaranteed as all assay components undergo a rigorous quality control by NGS before release.

Graftrack™

Graftrack™ is a single software package covering the whole continuum of post-transplant testing. It streamlines lab workflow and saves substantial time and effort. Graftrack™ is complementary to StemScan™ and OrganScan™ as it helps to make sense of the data provided by the assays. But, above and beyond that, it is a comprehensive software solution in its own right and can be used independently.

Key Features of Graftrack™

• Visualization of multiple indicators for each recipient over time.
• Management and visualization of recipient metadata, including donor information, transplants, sensitization events, treatments, and samples collected.
• Integrated analysis of OrganScan™ and StemScan™ NGS results.
• Single sample or batch processing modes.
• Scheduling and managing multiple future batches of samples for OrganScan™ or StemScan™.
• Managing control sample metadata and comparing control sample results across batches.
• Producing Illumina run sheets for each batch for loading onto the Illumina sequencer.
• Dual analysis of results, with over 20 quality control indicators.

Summary

Now, BFS Molecular’s NGS-based solutions for transplant monitoring have local support and distribution throughout Scandinavia. For clinicians and molecular biologists working in the area of transplant monitoring, there are many good reasons to switch to a sequencing-based monitoring solution. The most important of these reasons is patient care.

Contact us now to learn more.

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