Originally Published EMDM
May/June 2004
Industry News
Firms Form Alliance to Launch Assay Feasibility ServiceNorbert Sparrow
Point-of-care diagnostics companies stand to benefit from a recently launched feasibility service.
BBInternational (BBI; Cardiff, UK) and Quantum Design (QD; San Diego, CA, USA) have formed a strategic alliance to market this service, which combines custom particle conjugation and magnetic particle detection technology. The use of BBI’s conjugations and QD’s Magnetic Assay Reader (MAR) will provide users with a low-cost proof of principle for magnetic particle test development. It can also reduce R&D time and reveal design flaws at an early stage of a development project.
The feasibility service includes particle conjugation, small batch assays in the form of half-dipstick tests, and test results. The latter are presented as a dose-response data set.
The MAR detects supermagnetic particles that bind to an analyte in a sandwich assay format. It measures the local magnetic field expressed by the total mass of magnetic particles in the detection region. The measurement can be correlated to the number of molecules of interest.
The magnetic feasibility service is described as a fast, cost-effective way to evaluate the performance of standard assays using magnetic particles. The service will be offered by BBI, using QD’s MAR technology exclusively.
For more information, contact BBInternational, Golden Gate, Ty Glas Ave., Cardiff CF14 5DX, UK; phone: +44 2920 747232; fax: +44 2920 747242; e-mail:
info@bbigold.com; Internet: www.british-biocell.co.uk.
Copyright ©2004 European Medical Device Manufacturer
