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The Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IOT Institute (MARii) and the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) have successfully enhanced the efficiency of sample preparation of the ImmuSAFE COVID+ Biochip Test through its upgraded laboratory, located in IMR’s laboratories in Setia Alam, Selangor.

Minister of Health YB Khairy Jamaluddin was given a briefing by MARii CEO Dato’ Madani Sahari on the MARii ImmuSAFE Smart Automation Line (SAL) during his visit to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the 29th of November 2021.

“Many of the technologies and design approaches used to improve the ImmuSAFE process came from the principles utilised in the mobility sector, an important focus of MARii. We are extremely happy that the same approaches have been utilised today in the bio-medical sector, and we hope more sectors can benefit from the numerous technologies developed through MARii and MITI, our parent ministry”, said Dato’ Madani.

The MARii SAL improves the ImmuSAFE sample preparation process by the utilisation of autonomous robots, intelligent monitoring systems, big data analytics developed through MARii. These systems improve the speed and accuracy of liquid handling during incubation, dilution, washing and scanning of samples, which are essential components of the test that have been subject to bottlenecks in previous versions of the process.

At the same time, all processes within the laboratory are monitored through the MARii SAL dashboard, which tracks the progress of each sample and provides a snapshot of daily targets, machine outputs, planned vs actual progress, quality performance and operational efficiency in real time.

ImmuSAFE is the world’s first lab-based, multi-antigen and multi-domain COVID-19 serology test, developed between MARii, IMR and Sengenics.

The ImmuSAFE test allows quantitative testing of the prevalence of protective antibodies against COVID-19, developed by the body’s immune system, either through vaccination or natural development from an infection.

The ImmuSAFE test has a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and has been validated by the IMR, the biomedical research arm of the Ministry of Health (MOH).

This makes it an ideal platform for verifying the ability of vaccines to effectively immunise a population, as well as other applications in COVID-19 seroprevalence studies.

In March 2021, MARii announced that it is working with the ministry on longitudinal studies to observe and determine the ability of individuals to retain protective antibodies in their immune system. The data and results of the study would provide a better understanding of immunization patterns and health management in the future.

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