Roche launches new Cobas automated molecular diagnostic systems

Roche has announced the commercial launch of its new Cobas 6800/8800 Systems, two fully automated molecular diagnostic solutions.

The molecular testing systems for blood and plasma donor screening are being made available in Europe and other markets accepting CE Mark accreditation. They offer the fastest time to results with the highest throughput available.

Other benefits of the new systems include their lengthy walk-away times, which help to improve efficiency for laboratory staff by minimising the number of manual steps required.

In addition to the two systems, the company is also releasing the Cobas P 680 instrument to support the creation of donor sample pools, plus three next-generation assays for donor screening – Cobas MPX, Cobas WNV and Cobas HEV.

Roland Diggelmann, chief operating officer of Roche Diagnostics, said: "These systems will set new industry standards with technical innovation for throughput, speed-of-results, automation and flexibility that have not been seen before in a molecular diagnostic system."

This follows the launch of the Cobas 6500 fully-automated urine testing system earlier this summer.