At the 2025 European Society for Clinical Virology (ESCV) Congress one theme echoed throughout the scientific programme and the exhibition floor: preparedness for Disease X. Defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a serious international epidemic caused by an unknown pathogen, Disease X represents not just a hypothetical threat but an inevitability. 

For clinical microbiologists, virologists, and laboratory managers, this means ensuring that frontline tools are ready before the next outbreak emerges. Central to this readiness is the choice of transport medium, the bridge between patient sample and diagnostic result. Media that balances biosafety, stability, and molecular integrity could help shape the global response to future pandemics.

During an outbreak, every hour counts. Rapid and reliable sample collection, inactivation, and preservation are vital to both protecting laboratory personnel and enabling timely diagnosis. Traditional transport media have often relied on cold-chain logistics to maintain sample integrity, posing challenges in field diagnostics, resource-limited regions, and large-scale surveillance programmes.

The ideal solution must not only preserve RNA and DNA for molecular analysis but also ensure operator safety by inactivating infectious agents. At ESCV, delegates turned to Medical Wire & Equipment Co. (Bath) Ltd (MWE) to discuss exactly these challenges - and the solutions already available.

MWE presented new evidence on Σ-MM™ Molecular Medium, detailed in the study Evaluation of Σ-MM™ Molecular Medium for the stability of SARS-CoV-2 virus for up to 90 days at different temperatures

Key findings include: 

• Rapid inactivation: Σ-MM™ inactivates pathogens within 60 seconds, safeguarding staff while preserving nucleic acids. 

• Long-term stability: Viral RNA remained intact for up to 90 days at room temperature, eliminating reliance on cold-chain infrastructure.

• Versatility: Compatible with molecular testing platforms, supporting point-of-care diagnostics, outbreak investigations, and global surveillance. 

The study concluded that Σ-MM™ is a safe, stable, and effective transport medium for diagnostics. These qualities make it ideally suited for pandemic preparedness and routine testing alike. As unknown threats loom, Σ-MM™ provides laboratories with a reliable first line of defence, ensuring that high-risk samples can be safely processed without compromising downstream analysis.

In short, Σ-MM™ is a medium that labs should be stocking now to strengthen preparedness for Disease X. 

Preparedness is multi-layered. While inactivation is essential in many contexts, virology labs also require dependable media for viral recovery, culture, and detection. Here, Σ-VIROCULT® remains a trusted standard.

Validated across multiple platforms, including the Bosch Vivalytic analyser, SIGMA VIROCULT® ensures robust viral transport and high recovery rates. It is widely adopted by diagnostic laboratories worldwide for both routine and emergency testing.

Together, Σ-MM™ and Σ-VIROCULT® provide complementary solutions:

• Σ-MM™ for inactivation, molecular stability, and safe field diagnostics.

• Σ-VIROCULT® for accurate viral transport and culture workflows. 

This dual approach equips laboratories with flexibility and resilience, ensuring readiness for both known and unknown viral threats.

As the discussions at ESCV highlighted, Disease X is not a question of if but when. Preparing laboratories, supply chains, and diagnostic networks is the responsibility of today’s scientific community. The right transport media are a small but vital piece of this preparedness puzzle.

By adopting solutions such as Σ-MM™ and Σ-VIROCULT®, laboratories can safeguard staff, preserve sample integrity, and accelerate accurate diagnosis. The time to act is now, before the next outbreak emerges.