UriSponge™ is our beloved device for urine specimen collection, transport, and preservation from the sampling site to the testing laboratory.   

The good old UriSponge™ 

Copan developed this innovative device with a sponge that rapidly, easily, and safely adsorbs the correct amount of urine, making the sample collection step and subsequential processing in the lab much simpler. This unique design avoids cumbersome urine transfer to other tubes and has helped hundreds of laboratories in the procedures for the cultivation of uropathogenic bacteria and yeasts. UriSponge™ compact and leak-proof tube ensured a cost-effective shipment of samples to the laboratory, where they can either be loaded directly on the WASP® for automated streaking or manually centrifuged for manual processing of urine with standard culture procedures. All this in full compliance with M40-A2 and IVDR standards. 

But we could do better. 

Today, the time has come to unveil a new, updated version of UriSponge™, which still offers the same convenience and easiness of use but with an advanced preservative formula free of boric acid. The reasons behind this choice are obvious: no dangerous chemicals for humans or the environment mean increased sustainability; no handling and logistic issues related to boric acid mean no availability disruptions and faster delivery times. Additionally, the new UriSponge™’s formula outperforms other devices based on boric acid, as urine collected in UriSponge™ can be stored at room temperature for up to 48 hours controlling the risk of overgrowth or overkill during transport. 

UriSponge™ is immediately available to be ordered*. Contact us for more info. 

*Currently available for countries that require CE marking and apply IVD regulation. 

In 2020, the Italian headquarters of Mérieux NutriSciences hosted one of the first installations of the Copan Newlab Cyclone. This milestone project highlighted the cutting-edge capabilities of Cyclone’s automated workflow and pointed up the power of collaboration and knowledge exchange in shaping its evolution.

A Journey of Innovation and Cooperation

It all started when Mérieux NutriSciences, a global leader in food quality control, recognized the need for a quality control solution to address the dynamic demands of the modern food production industry. Thus, thanks to a solid collaboration with Copan, the company embarked on a journey to implement Cyclone in its workflow.

At the heart of this project was the spirit of cooperation. Mérieux NutriSciences and Copan teams worked hand in hand, merging their expertise and insights to seamlessly integrate the Cyclone system into the workflow of the Mérieux NutriSciences’s Italian headquarters. This close cooperation fostered an environment of mutual learning, enabling both teams to refine and tailor the system’s functionalities to the Mérieux NutriSciences’s specific needs:

Shaping the Present and Future of Food Industry Quality Control

The successful installation of Cyclone at Mérieux NutriSciences marked a profound turning point for the quality control workflow of the laboratory. The project’s success demonstrated how innovative solutions like Cyclone could be harnessed to streamline and enhance QA processes across the nation’s food producers. Implementing Copan’s Cyclone allowed Mérieux NutriSciences to take advantage of a reliable solution helping them manage large volumes of samples, even of different matrices.  Moreover, by reducing errors and enhancing standardization and reproducibility 24/7, Cyclone shortened Mérieux NutriSciences’ time-to-results, ensured workflow scalability during high-volume shifts, and empowered lab staff to focus on essential activities.

Unparalleled Quality Control Services Nationwide

As a direct result of this collaboration, Mérieux NutriSciences today boasts an unparalleled quality control service, made possible by the advanced capabilities of Cyclone: its implementation ensured not only the safety and compliance of products but also the optimization of production and QA processes.

This landmark case history showcases how a shared vision and dedicated teamwork can yield transformative outcomes, leaving an indelible mark on the quality control and food safety sector. The story of Mérieux NutriSciences and Copan’s Cyclone is about visionaries pushing boundaries, experts collaborating seamlessly, and two companies committed to excellence aiming at elevating quality control standards in the food industry.

In this edition of Microbiology Time, we focused on three studies covering diverse aspects of STIs and HPV screening and diagnosis.

• Self-collection-based screening can improve the detection and outcome of asymptomatic STIs in high-risk populations (such as men who have sex with men, MSM), but its reliability needs to be consolidated. In this first article, German researchers included asymptomatic MSM with a sexual risk profile for STIs in a multicenter cohort study diagnosing Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) with molecular techniques and comparing self- versus HCP-performed sampling. The results showed that almost 20% of the tested individuals were positive for CT and/or NG through self- or HCP-performed sampling, demonstrating comparable diagnostic outcomes between the two methods, with high acceptance in high-risk MSM.
• The second study aims to describe age-specific and type-specific carcinogenic HPV prevalence prior to the large-scale effect of HPV vaccines in Estonia, assessing the risk factors associated with this infection. The researchers relied on a self-administered questionnaire and self-collected vaginal swabs for detection of HPV infection in more than 3000 women aged 30–33, 57–60, and 67–70 years. Results HPV prevalence was highest among women aged 30–33 years followed by those aged 67–70 years and 57–60 years. Vaccination with nonavalent vaccine would have halved the carcinogenic HPV prevalence among women aged 30–33 years. The odds of infection with carcinogenic HPV were higher among women with six or more sexual partners and lower among younger married women. This study indicates that public health providers should focus on developing an extension of HPV testing in Estonia beyond the current screening age of 65 years.
• To demonstrate the acceptability and feasibility of introducing HPV testing as a principal cervical cancer screening method in public health programs in sub-Saharan Africa, the researchers followed 45 health clinics in Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The study enrolled more than 15 thousand women between 25 and 54 years old, offering HPV testing to eligible women as a primary screening for cervical cancer. HPV-positive women were referred for visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), and if lesions identified, received treatment or referral. One third of the women tested were HPV positive of which circa 5% were VIA-positive. Of these VIA-positive women, 87% received treatment. The researchers conclude that HPV testing is feasible across the five study countries in a public health setting, and that with sufficient resources and supportive infrastructure to ensure linkage to treatment, use of HPV testing for cervical cancer screening as recommended by WHO is a promising model in low-income and middle-income countries.

Read the full studies below:Age-specific and genotype-specific carcinogenic human