Meridian Bioscience Eliminates Cold Chain with the First Liquid Ambient Temperature Stable qPCR Master Mixes

New formats redefine molecular assay development by cutting refrigeration costs, simplifying logistics, and ensuring uncompromised performance at room temperature.

CINCINNATI, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Life Science division of Meridian Bioscience, Inc., a leading global provider of diagnostic testing solutions and life science raw materials, today announced the launch of the industry's first liquid qPCR master mixes proven stable for over 12 months at ambient temperatures and shippable with oligos without compromising performance. This breakthrough eliminates the need for refrigeration, freezing, or costly lyophilization (freeze-drying), offering a level of flexibility and convenience not previously available in liquid formats. With superior performance, these new mixes expand Meridian's portfolio of ambient-stable molecular reagents while simplifying logistics, reducing costs, and delivering sustainable solutions for assay developers and high-throughput automation users across all settings — from point-of-care (POC) to centralized labs.

Solving the Cold Chain Challenge

For decades, the molecular diagnostics industry has relied on two primary methods to preserve liquid reagents: maintaining a continuous cold chain or converting them into a dry format through processes such as lyophilization. Both methods add significant expense, complexity, and potential points of failure to the supply chain. Meridian's new liquid formulations maintain full performance after more than 12 months at ambient temperatures (15-25°C), with proven reliability even after extended exposure to 50°C. The key benefit for assay developers is the ability to build and supply assays without the cost, potential delays, environmental impact or other transport risks of cold-chain shipping. End-users in hospitals, reference labs, or point-of-care settings can store the assays at room temperature with complete confidence in performance.

Meridian offers the new ambient-stable liquid mixes in two formats:

• Liquid Stable Ready Mix (MDX364) – A qPCR master mix formulated for manufacturers creating ready-to-use assays. It demonstrates proven performance for over 12 months at ambient temperature and for over two weeks at 50°C, even in presence of oligos (primers and probes).  This mix is designed for high-throughput assay developers, manufacturing assay kits for large-scale use, with primers and probes stabilized directly in the mix for a true ready-to-use format.
• Liquid Stable Flex Mix (MDX360) – A qPCR master mix that can be stored and shipped without cold chain while maintaining full functionality for more than 12 months. Primers and probes are added by the end-user at the point of use, offering maximum flexibility in assay design.  This mix enables labs and developers running flexible formats to validate the mix against a broad menu of targets, while giving their customers the option to select and run specific targets at point of use, on demand.

"The new master mixes give assay developers the flexibility to choose the format that best supports their workflow," said Florent Chang-Pi-Hin, Vice President, Research and Development at Meridian Life Science. "They can now design ready-to-use assays without the cost and risk of cold chain and lyophilization and empower their customers with tests that remain stable at ambient temperatures for ultimate convenience. Both options reduce labor, turnaround time, and error risk, while making it easier to deliver scalable, automation-friendly assays, even in decentralized or point-of-care settings."

Meridian's liquid-stable qPCR mixes remove the need for cold chain and lyophilization, giving assay developers new flexibility while cutting costs and simplifying logistics. By ensuring reliable performance at room temperature, these formats support faster, more scalable, and more sustainable diagnostics in any setting.  For more information on Meridian's liquid ambient-stable qPCR DNA master mixes, please visit: https://www.meridianbioscience.com/liquid-ambient-stable-qpcr-mixes/

About Meridian Bioscience, Inc.
Meridian is a fully integrated life science company that develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes a broad range of innovative diagnostic and life science products. We are dedicated to developing and delivering better solutions that provide answers with speed, accuracy, and simplicity, redefining the possibilities of life from discovery to diagnosis. Through discovery and development, we provide critical life science raw materials used in immunological and molecular tests for human, animal, plant, and environmental applications. Through diagnosis, we provide diagnostic solutions in areas including gastrointestinal and upper respiratory infections and blood lead level testing. We build relationships and provide solutions to hospitals, reference laboratories, research centers, veterinary testing centers, physician offices, diagnostics manufacturers, and biotech companies in more than 70 countries around the world. Meridian is a privately held company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Meridian's website address is www.meridianbioscience.com.

Contact:
Courtney Schulz
Director of Corporate and Digital Communications
Meridian Bioscience, Inc.
Phone: 513.991.1091
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Meridian Bioscience, Inc.