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Review
. 2018 Dec;13(16):1697-1708.
doi: 10.2217/fmb-2018-0258. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

The GenMark ePlex®: another weapon in the syndromic arsenal for infection diagnosis

Jonathan E Schmitz  1 , Yi-Wei Tang  2   3
Affiliations
Review

The GenMark ePlex®: another weapon in the syndromic arsenal for infection diagnosis

Jonathan E Schmitz et al. Future Microbiol. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

As one of the most recent additions to the syndromic testing landscape, the ePlex® platform by GenMark Diagnostics is a system that combines the manufacturer's signature electrochemical detection technology with updated microfluidics, providing a new option for multiplex testing that is both rapid and requires minimal hands-on steps. In this review, we detail the ePlex platform and its current/future syndromic panels, with a particular focus on the respiratory pathogen panel - the platform's first assay to undergo clinical trials and receive regulatory approval in the USA. By keeping informed of these ever-expanding laboratory options, clinicians and microbiologists can stay positioned at the forefront of infectious disease diagnosis.

Keywords: GenMark; ePlex; multiplex molecular testing; respiratory pathogen panel; syndromic infection testing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was funded in part through NIH/NCI Cancer Center support grant P30 CA008748 and an agreement between GenMark and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Figures

<b>Figure 1.</b>
Figure 1.. GenMark ePlex® respiratory pathogen panel assay workflow.
Reproduced with permission from [1].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Babady NE, England MR, Jurcic Smith KL, et al. Multicenter evaluation of the ePlex respiratory pathogen panel for the detection of viral and bacterial respiratory tract pathogens in nasopharyngeal swabs. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2018;56(2) pii:JCM.01658-01617. - PMC - PubMed

    2. •• This was the publication reporting that the first multicenter clinical trial results on the GenMark ePlex RP panel.

    1. Hanson KE, Couturier MR. Multiplexed molecular diagnostics for respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system infections. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2016;63(10):1361–1367. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ramanan P, Bryson AL, Binnicker MJ, Pritt BS, Patel R. Syndromic panel-based testing in clinical microbiology. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2018;31(1) pii:31/31/e00024-00017. - PMC - PubMed

    2. • A nice comprehensive review on syndromic panel-based testing for infections.

    1. American Society for Microbiology. Multiplex White Paper: Clinical Utility of Multiplex Tests for Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Pathogens. 2018. www.asm.org/index.php/statements-and-testimony/item/6691-wp-multiplex
    1. Messacar K, Parker SK, Todd JK, Dominguez SR. Implementation of rapid molecular infectious disease diagnostics: the role of diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2017;55(3):715–723. - PMC - PubMed

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