HiMedia has designed a stabilization, inactivation and transportation medium called COVIDSafe™ The Virus Inactivation Medium is designed for potentially infectious, unprocessed nasal and throat swab samples suspected of containing infectious viruses. The guanidine thiocyanate as a chaotropic agent is contained in the medium. Its composition is such that it disrupts lipid membranes and eliminates enzymatic proteins such as nucleases. It assures secure and risk-free handling of suspected samples by inactivating virulence of infectious particles at the point of collection. The COVIDSafe™ Virus Inactivation Medium is stable at room temperature and is therefore also a ready-to-use medium.
Most of world’s currently approved SARSCoV-2/COVID-19 tests are the molecular based tests like RT-qPCR. Instead of traditional virology ways which require viable virus, modern molecular nucleic acid (NA) tests only need intact nucleic acid particles of the viral genome, thereby improving test performance with sensitivity, specificity, precision, better turn-around time and reproducibility. Moreover sample inactivation is highly desired and achieved through considering potential infectivity of the suspected samples which diminishes risk involved in handling them during collection and transport. HiMedia has designed COVIDSafe™ Inactivation Medium for inactivation of potentially infectious biological pathogens, thereby assuring customer safety during handling, transport and processing.
HiMedia product code: AL167CS
Samples remain stable for 8 days at room temperature.
If transport is going to take more than 8 days, it is recommended to store the samples at refrigerated temperature. Samples remain stable for 15 days at 2 – 8°C.
If kept frozen at -20°C, they remain stable for 1 month.