STMicroelectronics partners with Alifax to develop fast, cost-effective point-of-care medical testing solutions

     STMicroelectronics has collaborated with Alifax GMBH, an Italian manufacturer of medical clinical testing instruments, to develop a fast and economical portable medical testing solution. The solution, marketed by Alifax, uses a highly reliable real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to amplify genetic material (RNA and DNA[1]) in patient samples for point-of-care molecular diagnosis.

     Using technology developed and licensed by ST, Alifax has developed a small portable Molecular detector, called Molecular Mouse, that uses various components developed by ST, including STM32 MCUS, sensors, amplifiers, and other products. By connecting to a PC, Molecular Mouse is able to control and test multiple targets or samples in an extremely small, disposable kit manufactured using ST's large-scale microelectromechanical system (MEMS) semiconductor process using medical reagents developed by Alifax, delivering test results in less than an hour.

     Alessandro Cremonesi, Chief Innovation Officer at ST, said: "The current global pandemic has taught us the importance of rapid, cost-effective point-of-care testing, which allows for real-time remote diagnosis and, if necessary, immediate isolation of patients. ST has been investing in the development of the real-time PCR technology solution platform because we believe that innovative semiconductor diagnostic solutions have a positive impact on improving our lives."

     Benedetto Vigna, President of ST Emulators, MEMS and Sensors (AMS) Products, said: "Thanks to the company's large-scale semiconductor manufacturing technology and long-standing leadership in microfluidic, we have developed a customizable, fast and flexible kit and instrument platform that delivers fast, accurate, point-of-care diagnostic test results." Through this platform, Alifax is able to quickly respond to the diagnostic needs of current outbreaks and future outbreaks."

     ST has demonstrated its success and efficiency in rapidly advancing mature semiconductor mass manufacturing technologies, as well as its 25 + years of knowledge and experience in the field of microfluidic. In addition, ST's successful development of real-time PCR technology based on MEMS process, which has been in the works for 10 years, has finally translated into a new generation of products that can be quickly customized by Alifax to cope with the current global pandemic.

     Paolo Galiano, President of Alifax, said: "With our passion for research and development and outstanding achievements in innovation, Alifax has established itself in the field of clinical diagnostic hematology and bacteriology. By working closely with ST to integrate fundamental technologies such as ST's microfluidic in Molecular Mouse and our pathogen-specific detection kit, we are ready to contribute to the rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases, isolation and ultimately stopping the spread of pathogens, starting with COVID-19 detection."