Lexagene Holdings (LXG.V) early access program yields a MiQLab for Denver Animal Emergency

Lexagene Holdings (LXG.V) received a first purchase order for a MiQLab system from the Denver Animal Emergency today, according to a press release.

The company shipped their first MiQLab off to Denver Animal in North Carolina several months ago as part of an early access program. They report that they have cut down on sending samples out for culture and instead being using MiQLab.

“The MiQLab identifies not just the most common pathogens, but also many common antimicrobial resistance factors. Knowing this information soon after seeing the animal has boosted our confidence that our prescribed therapies will effectively treat the infection, even if it is found to be resistant to some antibiotics. Our veterinarians have enjoyed using it so much, and our clients are benefiting with better care, so it was an easy decision to purchase the system,” said Dr. Andrew Pierce, owner and medical director of Denver Animal Emergency in North Carolina.

Lexagene is a molecular diagnostics company that makes systems to detect pathogens and perform genetic testing for other molecular markers for veterinarians, food safety, and to be used in open-access markets like clinical research, agricultural testing and biodefense.

The MiQLab is an automated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) designed for testing in human and veterinary diagnostics, as well as the other positions we discussed earlier. A polymerase chain reaction is a method used to make large scale replications, either complete or partial copies, of a specific DNA sample. It lets scientists take a small DNA sample and amplify it to a large enough size to study in detail.

“Dr. Pierce is sending a strong message to his patients that the benefits of point-of-care diagnostics, time to result and high concordance will lead to improved animal care and better medical outcomes for our companion animals. This is exactly why Lexagene is in veterinary health and why we aim to change the way veterinary diagnostics are done. No longer is it necessary to wait days for culture when you can have such a powerful point of care diagnostic tool like the MiQLab,” said Dr. Jack Regan, Lexagene’s founder and CEO.

Users load their sample onto the instrument with a special cartridge, enter their sample ID and punch the Go button. Go get a coffee and come back. The MiQLab will then deliver your results in two hours. The open-access feature provides complete customization so that users can load their real-time PCR assays into the instrument to target any genetic target.