Fluidigm Corp. (FLDM)

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Integrated Genetics Lab Services Conducting COVID-19 Testing in Spain Utilizing Fluidigm Biomark HD Platform

$FLDM

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluidigm Corporation (Nasdaq:FLDM), an innovative biotechnology tools provider with a vision to improve life through comprehensive health insight, today announced that Integrated Genetics Lab Services (iGLS), a leading provider of advanced and integrated genetic services for reproductive medicine, is among the companies chosen by Spanish health authorities to expand SARS-CoV-2 screening in the Spanish population. iGLS is utilizing Fluidigm® microfluidics technology and reagents in a COVID-19 testing workflow designed to be run on the Fluidigm Biomark™ HD system.

The nasopharyngeal swab-based COVID-19 test is intended to increase testing capacity for patients, health care workers and employee populations across Spain. iGLS received a grant from the local Valencian government to support its testing program and began screening in early June.

“Supporting our first responders in Spain and their patients as well as organizations and employers with COVID-19 testing are the goals of our program,” said Dr. Jon Aizpurua, MD, PhD, President and CEO of iGLS. “While the rate of infection has moderated in Spain, scalable, cost-effective and accurate testing is more critical than ever. The Fluidigm integrated fluidic circuit technology, reagents and workflow are ideally suited to this task.”

COVID-19 testing on the Fluidigm Biomark HD provides throughput and cost advantages that reduce the impact of capacity-constrained supply chains. The company’s microfluidics technology enables processing of more samples per batch and uses a fraction of expensive testing reagents per sample as compared to more traditional, microwell plate-based PCR technology.

“Labs in many part of the world are seeing the unique value proposition of Fluidigm technology to provide testing infrastructure that offers speed, scale and automation,” said Chris Linthwaite, President and CEO of Fluidigm. “In addition to growing adoption of our technology for COVID-19 testing in the United States, labs in other regions of the globe are utilizing Fluidigm microfluidics for ultrahigh-throughput screening, which is particularly relevant in countries with high infection rates.

“Fluidigm supports multiple approaches to COVID-19 testing, having recently filed for Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an extraction-free saliva-based test to detect COVID-19,” Linthwaite said. “Getting the global economy back to work will require testing on a major scale. The capacity of a single Biomark HD system supports up to 6,000 tests per day and more than 2 million annual tests.

“We are honored to have been chosen by iGLS to increase critically needed COVID-19 testing capacity in Spain.”

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/06/24/2052732/0/en/Integrated-Genetics-Lab-Services-Conducting-COVID-19-Testing-in-Spain-Utilizing-Fluidigm-Biomark-HD-Platform.html#.XvNJ4J4WKCE.twitter