Rapid Micro Biosystems announces Growth Direct System for environmental monitoring and bioburden applications
Will improve the efficiency of microbial quality control processes while reducing the time-to-result
Rapid Micro Biosystems, a US-based provider of automated, rapid, non-destructive detection and enumeration technologies in microbiology, has launched the next generation of its Growth Direct system.
The Growth Direct system automates the incubation, detection, enumeration and reporting steps for environmental monitoring and bioburden applications in pharmaceutical quality control laboratories. The technology is based on the detection of the natural auto-fluorescence of micro-organisms and does not require any additional reagents to detect growing colonies.
The system can handle both environmental monitoring and bioburden (in-process and water) applications.
The system combines robust automation, state-of-the-art camera technology and powerful image analysis software
The environmental monitoring application automates the high volume testing typically found in the combination of air, surface and personnel monitoring. It offers automated reading and data transfer to laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and frees staff from the repetitive task of handling and counting hundreds of plates a day allowing resources to focus on higher value activities. In addition, it provides an error-free record of all activities and results and can be located near production, increasing efficiency and reducing the travel risk with critical samples.
The bioburden testing application advances the already validated technology in the area of in-process bioburden and water testing. Again, manual steps associated with the assay are eliminated; users simply prepare the sample and load it into the system. The system automatically handles serial incubations and processes samples 24/7.
Positive results start within hours and final results in about half the time of the compendial method, the company says.
'These applications build upon the existing Growth Direct technology currently used in FDA and EMEA regulated manufacturing facilities,' said Sarath Krishnaswamy, VP R&D for Rapid Micro Biosystems. 'The system combines robust automation, state-of-the-art camera technology and powerful image analysis software to automatically analyse and enumerate any growing colonies.'
