Rhinostics’ Automated Nasal Swab for COVID-19 Testing Approved by Health Canada

Waltham, Mass.-based Rhinostics has received Health Canada’s approval for its RHINOstic automated nasal swab system for collection of samples for COVID-19 tests.

The system features a polypropylene-based swab that is placed into a dry transport tube designed for processing using an automated workflow. The hydrophobic material, which does not require a viral transport medium, helps ensure complete sample elution — the extraction of the absorbed substance using a solvent.

The swabs work with a variety of automated decappers to create hands-free workflows from the point the bar-coded sample enters the lab through decapping and processing into assay microplates, removing labor and errors, the company said.