I previously wrote about Cepheid, and what it might take to create a Cepheid/GeneXpert like DNA sequencing instrument. It’s been speculated that Cepheid cartridges cost $3 to make. I figured it would be fun to buy some and pull them apart and see exactly what’s in a GeneXpert kit, so I grabbed some cartridge off eBay. The full kit contains the cartridge, guidance, poster format protocol and a CD. The CD has documentation in pdf format and a series of ADFs (Assay Definition Files). The ADFs are ASCII encoded hex data, the first few bytes are FCC2279597DBE28F2689F83C183692B76B. I tried converting the hex to binary, but nothing sensible popped out. The file contain repeated segments, suggesting they are not encrypted. But the file likely contains all recipe information needed to run the test and perform the necessary analysis and reporting.
Inside a Cepheid GeneXpert Cartridge
Inside a Cepheid GeneXpert Cartridge
Inside a Cepheid GeneXpert Cartridge
I previously wrote about Cepheid, and what it might take to create a Cepheid/GeneXpert like DNA sequencing instrument. It’s been speculated that Cepheid cartridges cost $3 to make. I figured it would be fun to buy some and pull them apart and see exactly what’s in a GeneXpert kit, so I grabbed some cartridge off eBay. The full kit contains the cartridge, guidance, poster format protocol and a CD. The CD has documentation in pdf format and a series of ADFs (Assay Definition Files). The ADFs are ASCII encoded hex data, the first few bytes are FCC2279597DBE28F2689F83C183692B76B. I tried converting the hex to binary, but nothing sensible popped out. The file contain repeated segments, suggesting they are not encrypted. But the file likely contains all recipe information needed to run the test and perform the necessary analysis and reporting.