Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics LLC's PrimeSuite TB™ products included in the 2015 UNITAID Tuberculosis Diagnostics Technology and Market Landscape

BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics LLC announced today that its PrimeSuite TB™ products have been included in the 2015 Tuberculosis Diagnostics Technology and Market Landscape report by UNITAID, a world leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria. PrimeSuite TB™ was categorized under the report's section on 'Specimen collection and manipulation', as its core product, PrimeStore MTM® sample collection and transport system, solves one of the core problems limiting molecular testing, namely sample quality. PrimeStore MTM® is Longhorn's proprietary technology that provides safe, high quality sample collection for molecular testing without need for cold chain or viral and bacterial pathogen containment.

"The introduction of molecular testing to high burden countries has had a significant impact on increasing the speed of diagnosis of tuberculosis," said Gerald Fischer MD, CEO, Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics. "PrimeStore MTM®, and the entire PrimeSuite TB™ product mix, can play a key role in diagnosing and treating TB, and reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with tuberculosis by improving access to highly sensitive molecular diagnostic tests and sequencing."

Peer reviewed articles, abstracts, and posters have highlighted the value of PrimeStore MTM® for other important markets including viral load testing and pathogen surveillance. Much of this testing is focused in areas of the world where specimen transport is challenging and maintaining proper cold chain is difficult and costly.

About PrimeSuite TB™

PrimeSuite TB™ consists of:

• PrimeStore MTM®, a sample collection, transport, and storage solution
• PrimeSwab™, flocked swab that maximize collection and are designed to be compatible with PrimeStore MTM®
• PrimeXtract™, a highly efficient spin column based nucleic acid extraction system
• PrimeMix TB®, a liquid, temperature stable, PCR reagent system with all necessary primers, probes and enzymes premixed
• PrimeSeq™, an optimized bled of primers, buffers, and enzymes that simplifies full-length amplification of MTB resistance genes for Next-Generation sequencing.

PrimeSuite TB™ components have been shown to be effective on multiple real-time PCR platforms from leading diagnostic companies such as Roche, ThermoFisher, and Bio-Rad and have been used effectively on Next-Generation Sequencers from ThermoFisher and Illumina.

For more information about PrimeSuite TB™ or its components, please visit www.lhnvd.com.

About PrimeStore MTM®

PrimeStore MTM® is optimized to inactivate/kill infectious biological pathogens, including MTB, gram positive/negative bacteria, and viruses. It disrupts/lyses lipid membranes and inactivates nucleases. PrimeStore MTM® preserves/stabilizes 'naked RNA/DNA maintaining high quality nucleic acids. It is compatible with manual and high throughput RNA/DNA isolation kits. PrimeStore MTM® eliminates cold chain costs for shipping and initial testing, and samples in PrimeStore MTM® can be frozen for multi-year storage and are not degraded by multiple freeze/thaw cycles. Researchers have effectively utilized sample collection in PrimeStore MTM for a variety of human, animal and plant specimens for downstream molecular analysis.

About Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)

According to the World Health Organization, approximately one third of the world population has been infected with MTB and it is estimated that 10% of those infected will progress to active disease. The majority of people with active MTB disease live in the developing world and currently do not have access to adequate testing.

About Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics LLC

Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics LLC (LHNVD) is a closely held limited liability company headquartered in Bethesda, MD. The diagnostic research and development facility is in San Antonio, TX and is focused on innovative products to improve molecular diagnostic testing. LHNVD maintains a laboratory in Gaithersburg, MD for vaccine and antibody development. To date LHNVD has received 19 issued patents worldwide with many more pending. Additional information can be found at www.lhnvd.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.