Alifax Molecular Mouse

Click2Contact

The Molecular Mouse, from Alifax, enables rapid, point-of-care molecular diagnostic detection using real-time polymerase chain reactions (PCR) to amplify genetic material (RNA and DNA) in patient samples. The small, portable instrument contains a broad range of components from STMicroelectronics, including STM32 MCUs, sensors, amplifiers and other devices.

Connected to a PC, the product uses medical reagents created by Alifax to manage the control and testing of multiple targets or samples on tiny disposable cartridges, manufactured by ST using its high-volume MEMS semiconductor process technology. Test results are available in less than an hour and the product is certified to CE-IVD.

With a footprint smaller than a smartphone, the system can run real-time quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR) on disposable cartridges. Each cartridge features six tiny reaction chambers; for the COVID-19 test, Alifax is using two chambers per sample. Each chamber supports precise heating and cooling of the reagents and samples to amplify the target genetic material, if it is present. At the same time, exploiting the customised reagents that feature fluorescent tags developed to detect COVID-19, the device determines the presence of the target genetic material in each chamber based on fluorescence intensity on multiple wavelengths.