Thermo Scientific™ SpeciMAX™ Stabilized Saliva Collection Kit

Description

The Thermo Scientific SpeciMAX Stabilized Saliva Collection Kit comes with an easy-to-use spill-resistant funnel, an automation-friendly saliva collection tube, and a screw cap to secure the sample after collection. The SpeciMAX stabilized saliva collection tube is pre-filled with 1 mL of stabilization agent for virus inactivation and integrates easily into the automatic processing and analysis workflows that are part of high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 surveillance research programs. Eliminate the need for messy manual pipetting of saliva from bulky conical tubes and collect saliva directly into automation-sized SpeciMAX tubes. Each SpeciMAX kit is individually packaged in single-use peel pouches, enabling easy distribution of devices for high-throughput saliva collection.

Features of the SpeciMAX Stabilized Saliva Collection Kit include:
• Nucleic acid sample stability at ambient temperature
• Non-invasive, simple, quick 1-mL saliva self-collection
• 1 mL of stabilization agent inactivates SARS-CoV-2 and common respiratory viruses
• Non-hazardous stabilization agent compatible with all disinfection protocols—no reaction with bleach
• Individual single-use peel pouch to protect the kit
• Streamlined sample accessioning—1D serial barcodes and compatibility with commercial decapper and liquid handler systems

Saliva is emerging as a suitable biofluid for SARS-CoV-2 virus
Humans produce an average of 1-2 L of saliva per day. Saliva has been a convenient source of DNA for genetic carrier analysis, ancestry and lifestyle testing, and pharmacogenomics. Recently, the oral cavity, including saliva, has been shown to be a source of SARS-CoV-2 virus and may play a direct role in viral transmission (Huang N, et al. Nat Med (2021)). For SARS-CoV-2 virus studies, the use of saliva makes sample collection easier and does not require direct contact with the sample collector, which reduces the risk of infectious disease transmission.

Sample storage
SpeciMAX stabilization agent preserves nucleic acid in saliva samples at ambient temperature for the following lengths of time:
• gDNA: up to 2 years
• RNA: 14 days
• Viral nucleic acid: 14 days

Refrigeration or freezing of the stabilized saliva samples is not recommended as precipitation of the stabilization agent has downstream effects.

Virus inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 and common respiratory viruses
The lipid membrane of enveloped viruses is the most vulnerable part of the virus as it is needed for cellular attachment and resulting infection in its host. SpeciMAX stabilization agent targets this viral lipid component to inactivate enveloped viruses and medium resistance unenveloped respiratory viruses through irreversible interaction with highly ordered capsid proteins needed for infection.

Safety
SpeciMAX Stabilized Saliva Collection Kit has a non-hazardous, virus-inactivating stabilization agent that is compatible with all disinfection protocols. There is no reaction with bleach as it does not contain guanidinium or ethanol. See Letters to Health Care Providers – Transport Media Safety Risk.

Easy to use
Each SpeciMAX Stabilized Saliva Collection Kit comes ready to use in individually packaged easy-peel blister pouches. To use the kit, the saliva donor follows four easy steps:
1. Remove and save the cap, then attach the funnel securely to the collection tube.
2. Fill saliva to the 2.0 line (not including bubbles).
3. Unscrew and discard the funnel (do not reuse).
4. Secure the cap on the tube, then mix by inverting the tube five times.

For best results, saliva donors should be instructed to refrain from eating, drinking, using tobacco products, or chewing gum for at least 30 minutes for best results. Saliva donors should allow saliva to pool in their mouths and then drool the saliva into the top of the funnel affixed to the saliva collection device. Consider the liquid portion of the saliva, not the bubbles, when determining if enough saliva has been collected.

Laboratory- and automation-friendly cost-saving features
SpeciMAX Stabilized Saliva Collection kits can streamline the process from collection to automation systems. For example, if a manual transfer of the saliva into an automation friendly tube requires 30 seconds to process, it would take about 8 hours to prepare the 1000 samples for the molecular analysis workflow. By eliminating manual saliva transfers with the SpeciMAX kits that fit directly into your automation sample racks, laboratory staff will be free to perform higher value or higher complexity tasks such as analyses and results generation.

The SpeciMAX saliva collection tube integrates seamlessly into high-throughput laboratory workflows using the barcodes provided for each collection tube The small-sized SpeciMAX saliva collection tube makes biospecimen storage and transportation at room temperature (15–30°C). Labs can fit up to 6X more SpeciMAX tubes in the same space required to store bulky 50-mL conical tubes, making laboratory logistics easier to manage and preserving valuable laboratory space.

Compatible with RNA/ DNA isolation workflows
Users can extract nucleic acid from saliva using specialized sample preparation reagents such as the MagMAX Viral/Pathogen total nucleic acid isolation kit (Cat. No. A48383R). Additional MagMAX reagents, such as the MagMAX DNA Multi-Sample Ultra 2.0 (A36570), MagMAX Saliva gDNA Isolation (A39060), and MagMAX mirVana Total RNA Isolation (A27828) kits are already equipped with optimized protocols and KingFisher magnetic particle handler automation scripts. Integrating the SpeciMAX Saliva Collection kit with appropriate MagMAX sample preparation kits for various molecular biology studies is already enabled. The SpeciMAX Stabilized Saliva Collection Kit and MagMAX purified nucleic acid can be used in multiple downstream applications such as genomic analysis or viral analysis using TaqMan gene expression solutions.