The BioFire FilmArray System – How It Works
The BioFire System offers unmatched ease-of-use with just two minutes of hands-on time and results in about an hour. Training is minimal and the software walks you through the entire molecular testing process.
It takes just three easy steps to get faster disease diagnostic results with BioFire’s multiplex assay technology.
- Setup—inject hydration solution and an unprocessed sample into pouch
- Test—insert pouch into the BioFire System instrument and start the run
- Get Result—software reports whether each target is detected in the sample
The BioFire FilmArray pouch is a multiplex PCR assay that stores all the necessary reagents for sample preparation, reverse transcription PCR, PCR, and detection in a freeze-dried format. During a test run, the BioFire System extracts and purifies all nucleic acids from the unprocessed sample. Next, it performs nested multiplex PCR in two stages. The first stage includes a single, large volume, multiplexed reaction. The second stage includes individual, single-plex reactions to detect the products from the first stage.
Using endpoint melting curve data, the BioFire System software automatically analyzes the results for each target on the panel. When the run is complete, the software reports whether each pathogen is detected in the sample. This information is printed in an automated response at the end of the test run.