Lonza Expands Mycoplasma Detection Portfolio

Lonza has further strengthened its extensive mycoplasma detection portfolio with the addition of the Lucetta™ 2 Luminometer, a single-tube system designed to simplify and accelerate mycoplasma detection in cell cultures. Pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic researchers can now rely on this compact, portable and easy-to-use instrument to run Lonza’s MycoAlert™ Mycoplasma Detection Assays and obtain highly reliable results within just 20 minutes.

Mycoplasma contamination is one of the most common challenges facing cell-culture laboratories, and it can have a profound impact on cell integrity. However, some of the most widely used mycoplasma detection methods have been associated with time and quality inefficiencies. For example, the agar-and-broth procedure, although highly accurate, takes at least four weeks to complete, while the polymerase chain reaction method requires several hours with an increased likelihood for false positives and negatives.

“The expansion of our portfolio with the new Lucetta™ 2 Luminometer establishes Lonza as the leading provider of fast, simple and accurate mycoplasma detection solutions,” said Dr. Claudia Schwartz, Product Manager for Cell Analysis at Lonza. “This small, lightweight instrument can be readily and directly integrated into standard cell-culture workflows without causing any interruptions. It offers highly sensitive and linear measurements of active mycoplasma enzymes in a fraction of the time needed for other techniques and with minimal effort. What’s more, the Lucetta™ 2 Luminometer comes at an affordable price, making it suitable for laboratories of all sizes.”

Lonza’s Lucetta™ 2 Luminometer provides a wealth of features and benefits, including:

High data-storage capacity for up to 2,000 single sample readings
Compatibility with a variety of test tubes, from regular 1.5 or 2 ml microcentrifuge tubes to 5 ml polystyrene tubes
Intuitive software that guides users through the MycoAlert™ Mycoplasma Detection Assay routine without requiring any prior training
Easy transfer of results to a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet for long-term storage using the Lucetta™ Connect software platform
Capability to run additional luminescence-based assays, such as Adenosine TriPhosphate-based cell proliferation or cytotoxicity assays and luciferase reporter gene assays

About Lonza
Lonza is an integrated solutions provider that creates value along the Healthcare Continuum®. Through our Pharma Biotech & Nutrition segment and our Specialty Ingredients segment businesses, we harness science and technology to serve markets along this continuum. We focus on creating a healthy environment, promoting a healthier lifestyle and preventing illness through consumers’ preventive healthcare, as well as improving patient healthcare by supporting our customers to deliver innovative medicines that help treat or even cure severe diseases.

Patients and consumers benefit from our ability to transfer our pharma know-how to the healthcare, hygiene and fast-moving consumer goods environment and to the preservation and protection of the world where we live.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 100 sites and offices and approximately 15,500 full-time employees worldwide at the end of 2018. The company generated sales of CHF 5.5 billion in 2018 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.5 billion.