Roche announced that the Japanese Red Cross (JRC) has selected Roche as supplier for next-generation nucleic acid screening of the country's 5 million annual blood donations.

Nucleic acid testing (NAT) is a highly sensitive technology that can improve blood safety by detecting viral infections other donor screening methods may miss. The tests will be performed on Roche's fully integrated and automated cobas s 401 instrument with the cobas TaqScreen MPX Test. The test is able to simultaneously detect HIV-1 (Groups M & O), HIV-2, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in donated blood.

"We are extremely proud that the Japanese Red Cross has selected Roche to provide their next generation NAT screening platform," said Daniel O'Day, President and CEO of Roche Molecular Diagnostics. "Together, the cobas s 401 instrument and the cobas TaqScreen MPX Test represent a significant step forward in blood centre automation and improved safety for patients receiving donated blood."

The decision was made following the JRC's extensive in-house evaluation of competitor systems.

The cobas s 401 instrument and cobas TaqScreen MPX Test will, in 2008, replace the Roche AmpliNAT multiplex test that has been in routine use in the three JRC NAT testing centers since 1999. The cobas s 401 instrument fully integrates and automates the real-time PCR sample preparation, amplification and detection steps, greatly increasing laboratory efficiency and reducing the chance for human error that can occur with more manual systems. The cobas TaqScreen MPX Test, used on both the cobas s 401 instrument and modular cobas s 201 system, uses real-time PCR to detect HIV-1 Groups M & O, HIV-2 and Hepatitis B and C viruses. Since being launched in July 2007, the cobas s 201 system and cobas TaqScreen MPX Test, ideal for low to medium volume NAT testing, has been placed into over 60 blood screening laboratories worldwide.

In addition to its many activities, the Japanese Red Cross Society, in cooperation with the national government and local authorities, promotes a nation-wide blood donation movement to ensure a continuous supply of the blood products that are essential for medical treatment. The agency was one of the first blood centres in the world to implement nucleic acid screening when it adopted Roche's early multiplex test on a trial basis in 1997. Roche systems have been used exclusively in Japan since 1999.