📋 Tender Overview
The medtech company Hamilton has developed an automated device for nasal and buccal swab collection in collaboration with the Harvard spin-off Rhinostics. This enables sample volume to be increased for COVID testing while removing costs and headcount.Hamilton a medtech company with Swiss headquarters in Bonaduz has worked together with Rhinostics to develop an innovative nasal and buccal swab collection device. It combines the respective strengths of the two companies as Hamilton reported in a press release. The hands-free automated workflow includes use of the RHINOstic nasal swab collection device and one of Hamiltons automated liquid handling workstations along with the LabElite DeCapper from Hamilton Storage Technologies. The device automatically removes the cap from the tube.According to Hamilton this combination of technologies alleviates common time-consuming bottlenecks in testing workflows even during times of surging sample influx. Sample throughput is increased and turnaround times reduced as well as fewer staff being needed.Viral samples can be released directly into a small amount of saline providing sample concentration of 30x or greater providing greater standardization and improving downstream assay reliability. Additionally the samples collected with RHINOstic can be shipped without viral transport media.The product provides an immediate impact to increasing COVID testing efficiencies. At the same time it is applicable to broader respiratory viral bacterial and genetic testing using the polymerase chain reaction PCR and next generation sequencing NGS. RHINOstic is registered as Class I exempt medical device with the FDA and is available for purchase. mm
