AdvanDx, Inc. have launched the vanA/B EVIGENE in Europe, it's the first LNA-based in vitro diagnostic test for detecting the antibiotic resistant Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) and Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) in positive blood cultures and clinical isolates.

The vanA/B EVIGENE test combines the high specificity of Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) probes with EVIGENE, a signal amplified sandwich hybridization assay platform, to rapidly and accurately detect both the vanA and vanB genes that confer vancomycin resistance in enterococci and Staphylococcus aureus.

A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the May 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology concluded that the EVIGENE technology "demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity for the detection of vanA in S. aureus (VRSA) and vanA or vanB in enterococci (VRE)."*

The high sensitivity and specificity of LNA probes allow for accurate detection of low abundance nucleic acids, such as bacterial and viral DNA, microRNA (miRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), and small interfering RNA (siRNA). Detection of these genetic materials can provide important diagnostic and therapeutic information within the areas of infectious diseases and oncology, as well as drug resistance and therapy monitoring.

The vanA/B EVIGENE is available in the EU for in vitro diagnostic use and the USA, for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Reference:
Fosheim et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2007 May;45(5):1611-3