Digene's Rapid Capture^® System provides high–volume laboratories with the ability to perform three Digene assays – high–risk human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia (CT) and gonorrhea (GC) – on one platform with reliable accuracy, efficiency and ease of use.

Using the Rapid Capture^® System, over 350 CT, GC or HPV patient specimens can be processed by one technologist in 6.5 hours with 3.5 hours of hands–free operation. As testing volumes increase, one technologist can easily operate two Rapid Capture^® Systems simultaneously, further increasing productivity.

Digene's Rapid Capture® System for high–volume laboratories: Streamlines the process of testing for HPV, CT and GC via automation. Significantly increases labor savings. Enables the laboratory to increase its testing capacity. Decreases turn–around time for delivering results to physicians.

In May 2004, Digene Corporation received FDA approval to expand the application of its Rapid Capture^® System beyond CT and GC testing to include high–risk HPV testing using the corporation's specimen transport medium (STM) or Cytyc's ThinPrep^® PreservCyt^®(PC). With its intuitive software and high–throughput testing capabilities, the Rapid Capture^® System is easy to set up and operate.

Digene's Rapid Capture^® System fits on a standard bench top (eliminating the need for separate work areas) and provides bar code capabilities and LIS interface connectivity, which further streamlines workflow and increases productivity. When the system is combined with the Digene multi–specimen tube (MST) conversion protocol, high volumes of residual PC specimens can easily be prepared and processed at one time, further reducing the labor required to perform these tests by as much as 35 percent.

Equipment for Lower–Volume Labs

Laboratories processing smaller batch sizes of specimens may also perform Hybrid Capture^® 2 testing with Digene's hc2 modular system. The following hc2 equipment is needed:

• The DML 2000™ Luminometer* provides accurate, reliable results while analyzing data rapidly and operating with walk–away simplicity.
• A custom–configured PC* (with peripherals) includes pre–installed Hybrid Capture System software that works within the familiar Windows^® operating system and MS Office^® environment. This software performs assay validation analysis and reports patient results for hc2 HPV and CT/GC tests.
• Plate washer, heater, and shaker

In addition to this core equipment package, Digene offers a range of other equipment and accessories for use with hc2 tests, including the Multi–Specimen Tube (MST) Vortexer 2.

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* Also required for use with the Rapid Capture^® System