SCOTTSDALE, Az. — PathogenDx (PathogenDx or Company), a leader in next-generation microarray technology for better health and safety, announced the launch of its new and improved rapid semi-quantification assay, QuantX Fungal, which has received an AOAC® Performance Tested Methods (PTM) SM Certificate to semi-quantify fungal species in total yeast and mold (TYM) for cannabis flower. Quantx Fungal joins the Company’s comprehensive suite of cannabis testing technologies, including Quantx Bacterial and Detectx Combined, bringing the latest assays onto PathogenDx’s automated sample preparation system, Octa™ AutoPrep Station (Octa), and significantly increasing testing throughput, and improving operational and cost efficiencies for testing labs.
Utilizing a simple, one-step End-point PCR format with automated sample preparation, QuantX Fungal offers unmatched speed when compared to traditional tests, delivering results in eight hours, instead of the standard 72 to 120 hours using growth-based platforms. With just one sample – which can be prepared manually or through PathogenDx’s easy-to-use Octa platform – labs can now run every test under PathogenDx’s catalog in tandem. This significantly simplifies lab workflow, streamlines the number of different platforms being utilized down to one, and saves lab-technicians hands-on time – especially those in states that require both detection of pathogen species and quantitation.
“We are proud to launch the new, AOAC certified version of QuantX Fungal, the only test in the market currently providing semi-quantitative analysis of total yeast, mold and fungal species detection,” said PathogenDx Co-founder and CEO, Milan Patel. “With this launch, we are not just reducing the potential for manual error – we are bringing the cannabis sector closer to the level of efficacy and standardization required of labs in mainstream industries. We are delivering unrivaled analytical ease for labs and dramatically simplifying quantification for multistate operators, ensuring that regardless of the regulatory differences, labs can meet every state’s testing and compliance requirements.”
With the dynamic range extended from 1,000 to 100,000 CFU/gram, and triplicate testing of yeast, mold and fungal species all in one test, QuantX Fungal rapidly and accurately quantifies the Total Yeast & Mold responsible for the vast majority of fungal outbreaks. In addition, Quantx-Fungal has a unique built-in capability of discriminating which twelve (12) different cannabis fungal species – Candida Albicans, Golovinomyces, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Saccharomyces Alternaria, and five specific species of Aspergillus (A. fumigatus, A.flavus, A.niger, and A. terreus, A. Nidulans) are contributing to high levels of Yeast & Mold values. This will help labs provide more meaningful information to their customers on the grow and cultivation side.
Similar to other testing assays in the Company’s catalog, the latest addition to the PathogenDx platform is also developed upon its patented multiplexed molecular testing technology, Dynamic Dimensional Detection (D3 Array™). Comprising up to 108 probes in triplicate, in a single well, the D3 Array™enables amplified DNA binding in the 3D cross-linked array architecture. This results in a faster and much more accurate test than qPCR or other technologies.
“Given the challenges the cannabis testing sector has seen with long turn-around times – especially for Total Yeast & Mold, which can extend out to 3-5 days – QuantX Fungal is a breakthrough test that can be processed off one platform to help labs deliver accurate, expedited results to their customers while driving efficiency and reducing labor, consumables and capital costs to labs,” Patel continued. “As the industry moves towards federal legalization and acceptance on a national level, we will continue to develop advanced technologies that raise standards across the board to enhance the entire cannabis ecosystem, and most importantly, to help protect consumers’ health – our number-one objective.”
This is the Company’s second generation, improved version of Quantx Fungal One-Step, which was the world’s first semi-quantitative molecular test for total yeast and mold in cannabis, and the company’s second assay to receive an AOAC® PTM SM Certificate, in addition to the Detectx -Combined Assay for pathogen detection in cannabis.
About PathogenDx
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, PathogenDx is a leader in next-generation microarray technology for better health and safety. Its mission is to become the new standard in nucleic acid-based testing through widespread adoption of its advanced microarray testing platform for the human diagnostics, food and agricultural industries. PathogenDx’s technology can rapidly detect and identify up to 50 pathogens simultaneously, in a single test, in six hours providing triplicate data per analyte for certainty in results with a simple and easy process. The company’s molecular-testing products – Detectx™, Quantx™ and Envirox™ – are disrupting the century old practice of Plate Culture testing to detect, identify and quantify pathogens that threaten human health, our ecosystem and the environment. This technology will help growing businesses deliver safer products leading to healthier lives, while preventing billions of dollars in losses from infection and contamination. For more information on how you can utilize this simple, powerful and inexpensive molecular-based pathogen testing, visit www.pathogendx.com.
