Integrate Quickly & Minimize
Extraction Errors With MicroWash

Leveraging the same lab processes with fewer extraction errors, integration with MicroWash is quick, simple and safe.

Our patented, swab-free nasal sampling method increases throughput for commercial laboratories, and it substantially improves testing accuracy and ROI with minimal training needed.

No more fishing swabs out of test tubes and risking infection for technicians — and no more test kit impurities or damage that cost labs extensively. Our groundbreaking device works with established saline protocols to deliver up to 49% higher PCR testing sensitivities, improving testing accuracy via a 20X larger sample volume.

Why We’re Setting a New Nasal Sampling Standard

Introducing a revolutionary nasal collection system that provides a high-sensitivity sample with a three-year kit shelf life. Plus, it offers a more
comfortable experience for patients and improves infectious disease preparedness and control.

Introducing a revolutionary nasal collection system that provides a high-quality sample with a three-year kit shelf life. Plus, it offers a more comfortable experience for patients and improves infectious disease preparedness and control.

Higher-Sensitivity Samples

Independent academic research shows up to 49% greater sensitivity in PCR testing.

Minimal Training

MicroWash tube samples are ready to be placed into PCR machines — no additional steps and compatible with current lab saline protocols.

Reduced Infection Risk

Removing and handling swabs not only slows down lab technicians, but it also puts them at higher risk for infection. Our swab-free samples go directly into the rack.

Jam-Free PCR Machine Sampling

Just one clogged extraction needle or pipette tip can significantly slow lab processing. MicroWash’s swab-free, mess-free saline solution can make this a problem of the past.

Extraction-Free Future

MicroWash supports the shift toward extraction-free PCR testing. Our clinical experts are actively exploring solutions to keep specimens intact from start to finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

The MicroWash team is here to help support a seamless transition from your current diagnostic testing method to our industry-revolutionizing nasal specimen sampling device. Don’t see the answers you’re searching for here? Contact Us.

Recognizing several safety, accessibility and reliability problems with swab test kits at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, University of Nebraska Medical Center clinicians and researchers set out to develop another solution for respiratory infection nasal sampling.

After extensive research and development, University Medical Devices created MicroWash to address nasal swabs’ limitations. The device has demonstrated optimal sampling in lab testing and gained strong consumer acceptance compared to the nasal swab, supporting more effective management of viral respiratory infections.

Healthcare providers and labs benefit from higher-sensitivity samples and faster throughput with a device that seamlessly fits into current specimen processing procedures. MicroWash also has a much longer shelf life compared to nasal swab kits, enabling better diagnosis and treatment decisions on a wider scale.

Explore additional advantages for labs compared to nasal swab kits.

MicroWash involves washing the nasal passage with sterile saline to collect a sample from the nose.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Insert the device into the nostril.
  2. Push the syringe plunger to wash the nasal passage.
  3. Let the saline flow back into the device, which becomes a cap for the specimen tube.
  4. Flip it, cap it and the saline-effluent specimen is ready for diagnostic testing at the lab.

Learn more about our nasal specimen sampling process.

It’s critical that nasal wash samples be transported to the laboratory as quickly as possible after collection to ensure timely testing and identification of the causative agent (COVID-19, influenza, etc.) so appropriate therapy can be started.

However, these specimens can be stored at room temperature for up to six days and still provide viable testing results if there is an unforeseen delay in transportation. 1,2,3

If transportation requires prolonged shipping times, the specimen should be refrigerated or packaged with a cooling device (cool pack or dry ice). Storage temperatures should be monitored to maintain parameters as outlined by the receiving laboratory.

  1. Rodino KG, Espy MJ, Buckwalter SP, Walchak RC, Germer JJ, Fernholz E, et al. Evaluation of saline, phosphate-buffered saline, and minimum essential medium as potential alternatives to viral transport media for SARS-CoV-2 testing. J Clin Microbiol. 2020 May 26;58(6):e00590-20. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00590-20. Print 2020 May 26.
  2. Ngetsa C, Osoti V, Okanda D, Marura F, Shah K, Karanja H, et al. (2023) Validation of saline, PBS and a locally produced VTM at varying storage conditions to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus by qRT- PCR. PLoS ONE 18(2): e0280685. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0280685 Editor: Ruslan Kalendar, University of Helsinki:
  3. Radbel J, Jagpal S, Roy J, Brooks A, Tischfield J, Sheldon M, et al. Detection of severe acute fespiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is comparable in clinical samples preserved in saline or viral transport medium. J Mol Diagn. 2020 Jul; 22(7): 871–875. doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2020.04.209

To meet large-scale needs, MicroWash will be distributed through strategic partnerships and collaborations with major medical distributors, laboratories, pharmacies and government organizations.

The company is scaling up manufacturing and packaging processes to ensure an adequate supply and the ability to quickly distribute significant quantities when needed.

MicroWash sample quality is measured through rigorous testing and evaluation processes. We’ve conducted several clinical trials and studies to compare our quality with that of nasal swabs.

These trials generate superior data confirming the MicroWash device’s sample quality in laboratory detection of respiratory pathogens:

  • The device is patented and published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
  • MicroWash has undergone a clinical trial and internal studies to support its use. These scientific validations provide evidence of the device’s safety and efficacy in respiratory diagnosis.
  • MicroWash is a 510(k) exempt, Class 1 medical device, which means it does not require FDA clearance or approval. However, MicroWash is an FDA-listed medical device manufactured under cGMP quality system regulations.
  • Two studies performed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have clearly demonstrated the device’s effectiveness in capturing superior-quality nasal samples compared to nasal swabs.

In reference to MicroWash functionality, “pain free” means the sampling process is designed to be penetrating but still comfortable for patients when compared to nasal swab testing. The level of “pain-free” experience is measured based on patient feedback and clinical surveys revealing the following:

  • MicroWash has been reported as significantly more comfortable, with a pain rating of 0.3/10, compared to the nasopharyngeal swab, which has a pain rating of 8/10.

Before COVID-19, saline nasal irrigation was the common diagnostic testing method for upper respiratory infections. However, it wasn’t standardized, and samples were inconsistent and messy, making them less safe to replicate on hundreds of millions of patients.

The default was the nasal swab. They were readily available, and easy to store and deploy. Yet, they yielded inconsistent samples due to the frequency at which the procedure induced gagging, sneezing and coughing. This puts providers and technicians at risk of not just respiratory illness, but also burnout.

In response, we perfected the decades-old nasal sampling technique while also improving upon the limitations of the swab. MicroWash now merges the safety, comfort and higher-sensitivity samples of saline sampling with the accessibility and convenience of swab test kits.

As the pandemic situation evolves and the focus shifts from mass testing to more accurate and comfortable solutions, MicroWash is poised to become the new gold standard for respiratory illness testing beyond COVID-19.

MicroWash offers benefits beyond sampling exclusively for COVID-19 testing. Its sample can be used as the specimen for the detection of most respiratory infectious agents, such as influenza, RSV and more.

This better equips healthcare providers to make accurate diagnoses and allows their patients to receive the appropriate treatment faster. The device’s ease of use expands accessibility outside of clinical settings into telehealth and makes it suitable for a wide range of respiratory diagnostic needs.

With its ease of application to telehealth platforms and widely distributable nature, MicroWash stands to comprehensively improve patient outcomes and create a more resilient healthcare ecosystem.

Human-Factors Engineering (HFE) is an FDA-preferred design approach focused on optimizing the interaction between people and devices.

MicroWash was designed based on HFE principles to ensure it is user-friendly and suitable for any use-case scenario across patients, providers and labs. By incorporating HFE, MicroWash prioritizes ease of use, safety and a positive user experience.

University Medical Devices is the medical device developer behind MicroWash. Its mission is to provide cutting-edge and highly reliable specimen collection systems that improve the patient experience.

Bringing more than 10 decades of cumulative medical experience to the table, the company’s leadership includes healthcare experts in neurology, emergency medicine, telehealth, urgent care, primary care and healthcare regulation with training at leading medical institutions.

They have specialized expertise in biocontainment and pandemic medicine with the National Quarantine Unit, the only federally supported program of its kind, and were among the first to oversee isolation care and serial testing for COVID-19 patients returning to the U.S. at the beginning of the pandemic.

MicroWash is a 510(k) exempt, Class 1 medical device, which does not require FDA clearance or approval; however, MicroWash is an FDA-listed medical device manufactured under cGMP quality system requirements.

Discover Even More Advantages Over the Standard Swab

Nasal swabs, your days are numbered. MicroWash delivers greater sample sensitivity, has a longer shelf life and is easy for healthcare professionals’ use. See how our solution is revolutionizing nasal sampling for good.

Nasal swabs, your days are numbered. MicroWash delivers greater sample quality, has a longer shelf life and is simple enough for anyone to perform the test safely and correctly. See how our solution is revolutionizing nasal sampling for good.

EXPLORE THE BENEFITS

The Macro Potential of MicroWash for Effective Virus Management

Contact us to get details on our game-changing sample collection system, which works seamlessly with your existing lab processes.