Countable Labs and Promega announce co-marketing agreement to streamline end-to-end biological sample preparation and rare variant detection

Countable Labs has announced a co-marketing agreement with Promega that unites Promega’s Maxwell^® System for nucleic acid extraction with Countable Labs’ Countable PCR instruments in a single workflow, enabling researchers to perform complete, bias-free DNA and RNA extraction and quantification. This collaboration offers an accurate, practical, and easy-to-use solution for rare variant detection and quantification across a wide range of research applications.

Integrated workflow for nucleic acid extraction and single-molecule quantification

The combined workflow leverages the Promega Maxwell^® System, a reliable, fast, and simple automated benchtop nucleic acid extraction instrument that uses a paramagnetic, particle-based workflow to process up to 48 samples in parallel. The system delivers high-quality nucleic acids suitable for a broad range of downstream applications.

Following extraction, nucleic acids are analyzed using Countable PCR instruments, which isolate single molecules across 30 million compartments for true single-molecule quantification. By using the majority of extracted material as input, Countable PCR interrogates samples more completely, maximizing detection of rare targets that other methods may miss.

Demonstrated performance in liquid biopsy and rare variant detection

In a poster published by Countable Labs illustrating the utility of the workflow, total cfDNA was extracted from human blood plasma using a magnetic bead-based automated system (the Rapid ccfDNA Kit on the Maxwell^® CSC system) to ensure consistent recovery from low-input material.

When coupled with a pre-amplification step, a multiplexed KRAS assay using Countable PCR reached 0.08% MAF for G12C without compromising sensitivity for multiplexing. Results were reproducible across technical replicates and were achieved with minimal optimization.

Advancing precision medicine and translational research

Countable Labs is on a mission to unlock new possibilities in rare variant detection and quantification by delivering the high sensitivity and robust scale that traditional PCR methods have never achieved.

Countable PCR’s ability to spatially isolate and detect single molecules across 30 million compartments makes it an efficient solution for a range of translational research and diagnostics challenges, from monitoring minimal residual disease to pushing the boundaries of liquid biopsy.

“Countable PCR’s ability to spatially isolate and detect single molecules across 30 million compartments makes it an efficient solution for a range of translational research and diagnostics challenges from monitoring minimal residual disease to pushing the boundaries of liquid biopsy,” said Anjali Pradhan, Chief Business Officer at Countable Labs.

“Partnering with Promega gives our customers a seamless, end-to-end solution from sample to answer, empowering a new wave of precision medicine innovation.”

Alok Sharma, Global Clinical Market Director at Promega, added, “Promega and Countable Labs are aligned in our desire to provide flexible, best-in-class, solutions for life sciences’ biggest technological challenges. We designed our Maxwell^® instruments and kits to provide the versatility our customers can trust, enabling experiments that reliably and efficiently deliver high quality nucleic acids from a broad range of sample input types and amounts, enabling many downstream applications.”

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