Background Information on Blood Screening

Every hour of every day, hundreds of Canadian patients receive life-saving transfusions of blood and blood products. Screening for infectious disease agents is a major component of ensuring blood and plasma safety. The goal is to keep infected units of blood out of the supply, and therefore prevent the introduction of chronic or potentially life threatening diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis.

Roche Molecular Diagnostics, a business area within the diagnostics division, is very active in the blood screening arena and is helping to make the world's blood supply safer through the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Roche is committed to supporting this critical healthcare area and is helping to increase the safety of blood transfusions and blood-derived products with innovative products in the areas of HIV-1 and Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

COBAS® AmpliScreen HIV-1 and HCV Tests

COBAS® AmpliScreen PCR-based tests for HIV-1 and HCV directly detect the genetic material of viruses, through the rapid replication of a specific segment of DNA or RNA into billions of copies. Nucleic acid testing enables earlier detection of the virus in the infection cycle and therefore helps blood banks to provide safe blood and blood products.

PCR technology and reagent design allows for effective amplification of DNA or RNA material, as well as menu expansion to include screening for other pathogens that may threaten the blood supply.

Roche Molecular Diagnostics’ global expertise includes more than 10 years of developing industry-leading diagnostic products based on the company’s PCR technology, which is considered the gold standard in nucleic acid testing (NAT).