SafetyTector™ S

SafetyTector™ S: Protect the User, Detect the Analyte

SafetyTector™ S is an extraction and dilution buffer that inactivates COVID-19 in saliva specimens and nasopharyngeal swabs. 

By inactivating COVID-19 in samples, SafetyTector™ S eliminates the high risk of infection from the specimen or other test materials during and after testing.  This safety measure is essential for in vitro diagnostic medical devices.  The inactivation ability of SafetyTector™ S provides user safety that has not been achieved by other virus-inactivating extraction buffers.

Swabs can be extracted directly with SafetyTector™ S.  Samples must be diluted in SafetyTector™ S at least 1:4.  At this dilution, SafetyTector™ S inactivates COVID-19 within 1 minute, making the samples no longer infectious.  Virus inactivation was confirmed and tested with infectious viruses in a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory.

Figure 1: Saliva samples spiked with COVID-19 were mixed 1:4 with PBS or SafetyTector™ S and incubated for the indicated times at room temperature. After incubation, samples were titrated and added on Vero E6 cells. After 5 to 7 days, infectivity was determined according to the Reed-Muench-method. After only 1 min of incubation with SafetyTector™ S, no remaining infectivity was detectable with this assay.

Samples diluted in SafetyTector™ S can be used directly in lateral flow assays for rapid antigen tests.  In lateral flow assays, SafetyTector™ S replaces the dilution buffer, extraction buffer, chase buffer or flow buffer.  SafetyTector™ S can also be used in other immunoassays such as ELISA, protein arrays and bead-based assays.