Millipore Corporation have launched a new product from its ground-breaking collaboration with Roka Bioscience to develop faster, more robust tests for contaminants in pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing.

The MilliPROBE® Detection System for Mycoplasma is the first solution of its kind for the early detection of mycoplasma contamination in the highly regulated biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

The MilliPROBE Detection System for Mycoplasma, the newest assay in Millipore's MilliPROBE platform aimed at rapid microbial detection, cuts detection time from between 28 and 35 days (for traditional culture-based technology) to just four hours. Faster and more robust detection enables biopharmaceutical manufacturers to test more frequently and take corrective action earlier in the production process, reducing financial risks and optimizing product yields.

'The MilliPROBE system is unique because it can be operated by technicians with limited molecular training, while meeting the stringent requirements of the biopharmaceutical quality control lab,' noted Roland Heinrich, Millipore Vice President, Process Monitoring. 'It includes a novel Millipore sample preparation device designed to handle complex bioreactor samples in larger volumes than other mycoplasma testing products. It also includes Gen-Probe's new Background Reduction Technology (the first of its kind), which protects the assay from contamination that can cause false positive results-a prevalent testing problem representing substantial financial risk for customers.