Release notes Analysis 4.8 (June 21, 2022)

General

The release of FastFinder Analysis 4.8 and Lab management 1.8 brings support for a full integration with Roche FLOW systems, increased flexibility with quantitative analyses, and finally, we’ve added additional export capabilities including a new PDF export. Moreover, several improvements will help you more efficiently review and visualize results on the plate view and trace your controls in the Quality Control module.

As always, it is feedback from you that informs our roadmap, and allows us to keep improving FastFinder, so we want to thank you for your continued suggestions. Don’t hesitate to let us know how we can improve FastFinder even further.

For the specific release notes for Lab management 1.8, see (link)

Analysis 4.8.1 (June 21, 2022)

New features

In FastFinder Analysis 4.8, we added an integration with Roche FLOW 3.0 to speed up your workflow with aggregated target result calling. If you’re interested to know more about this integration, contact your Roche representative.

FastFinder now supports files from ThermoFisher’s new Design and Analysis software v2.x

FastFinder can now use the instrument result calls and Cq values if your assay plugin is configured accordingly. This functionality is available for Roche’s LightCycler 480, type I and type II and Cobas z480, and ThermoFisher Scientific’s ViiA7, QuantStudio 3, 5, 5Dx, 6 Flex, 6 Pro, 7 Flex, 7 Pro and 12K Flex. Contact support if you want to know more about this functionality for your assay plugins.

You can now save amplification curves as a reference for use in future analyses and help where interpretation may be challenging (for example, with low-prevalence targets or in cases where no positive control is used).

Improvements

• A new quantitative standard has been introduced that allows for concentrations to be entered by the user at PCR plate setup.
• We improved color compensation support for Roche’s LightCycler 480 type I, II and Cobas z480; when there is only one single color compensation in the .ixo file, FastFinder will automatically use it when the assay plugin requires color compensation. If there are multiple color comps present in the .ixo file, you’ll be able to indicate which one you wish to use on a per-assay basis.
• For end point analyses, you can now enable a heat map in the plate view.
• Assay results can now also be visualized in the plate view. Additionally, we made it easier to filter sample notifications.
• In the summary tab we made several improvements to how you select and filter controls, standard curves and samples.
• We made it possible to configure automated plate setup for Rotor-Gene Q and 6000 files by configuring Groups (in the Rotor-Gene software) and mapping these to the Mix instrument reference in the relevant assay plugin.
• When marking a sample for retest, it is now possible to provide a predefined retest reason.
• Assay plugins with multiple mixes can now be assigned to a plate even if not all mixes can be assigned.
• When coloring amplification curves per result, a secondary filter per dye is added
• We made performance improvements to avoid out-of-memory exceptions

Note: by default, crosstalk correction is not applied for Agilent’s AriaMx and AriaDx files. To apply this correction, a new assay plugin is required. Contact support if you need more information about the assay plugin update.

Fixed bugs

The following issues have been fixed in the Analysis 4.8 release:

• Passive Reference Dyes may be shown twice in the graphs
• Filter selection in Result details is not the full list after filtering and editing of results
• Standard curves do not appear when there were initially no valid standard curves
• Automatic graph zoom may not work when using log scale
• After an analysis was done, the external standard curve in PCR setup may not be the selected one and it doesn’t take the selected assay plugin version into account
• Cq value may not fully be visible when there is a long notification message
• Crosstalk correction is sometimes applied in AriaMx and AriaDx files
• Missing required Quantification Standards are not shown in the Info column of Standard curve results
• In the Levey-Jennings chart of an analysis, the Analysis authorization date is shown instead of the Analysis creation date in the tooltip of historic points
• Melting curves are not always fully shown when coloring according to result

Design improvements

• Configuring tables is now easier: click the cogwheel at the top-right of tables to rearrange or hide columns on any table, across the FastFinder software