Handheld electrochemical sensors are part of the daily routine for millions of people with diabetes around the globe who monitor their blood sugar levels with electric glucometers. While such sensors have revolutionized at-home medical testing for diabetics, they have not yet been successfully applied to diagnosing other conditions.
Sensors like glucometers detect glucose in blood based on the activity of an enzyme, and there are only a limited number of enzymes that can be used to sense biomarkers of human disease. An alternative detection strategy based on binding events between antibodies and their molecular targets have been investigated to expand the use of electrochemical sensors for medicine, but these sensors fall victim to the rapid accumulation of “fouling” substances from biological fluids on their conductive surfaces, which deactivate them. Existing antifouling coatings are difficult to mass-manufacture, suffer from quality and consistency issues, and are not very effective. Now, a new diagnostic platform technology developed by researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University known as “eRapid” enables the creation of low-cost, handheld electrochemical devices that can simultaneously detect a broad range of biomarkers with high sensitivity and selectivity in complex biological fluids, using as little as a single drop of blood. The technology is described in Nature Nanotechnology.
“As long as an antibody exists for a given target molecule, eRapid can detect it,” said co-author Pawan Jolly, Ph.D., a Senior Research Scientist at the Wyss Institute. “By solving the biofouling problem with a simple yet robust design, we are now able to easily mass-produce biochemical sensors for a wide variety of applications at low-cost.” The team demonstrated the commercial utility of this approach by creating a multiplexed sensor with three separate electrodes, each coated with the BSA/gold nanowire matrix and a layer of antibodies against a specific clinically relevant target molecule: interleukin 6 (IL6), insulin, or glucagon. When they incubated the sensor with the respective target molecules in undiluted human plasma, they observed excellent electrical signals with picogramper- mL sensitivity. Conversely, electrodes coated with a published “PEG-SAM” anti-fouling coating failed to produce distinct signals, indicating that they had been irreversibly fouled by off-target molecules in human plasma samples. In addition, the BSA/gold-nanowire-coated sensors can be washed and reused multiple times with minimal signal loss, allowing serial monitoring of biomarkers easily and at low cost.
Since then, the Wyss team has been able to detect more than a dozen different biomarkers ranging from 100 Da to 150,000 Da in size with eRapid, and they are continuing to experiment with conductive nanomaterials to optimize the electrode coating and the system’s performance, as well as reduce the cost even further.
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A new benchtop automated reading and incubation system is now available in Europe for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). The new instrument provides microbiology laboratories with the accurate MIC results that clinicians need to confidently select an effective antibiotic for critically-ill patients while safeguarding future patient care through more successful antimicrobial stewardship. The Thermo Scientific Sensititre ARIS HiQ AST System relies on broth microdilution, the industry’s gold standard, to provide an MIC result that supports the optimization of treatment decisions and ultimately, patient outcomes.
The new system adds value to laboratories that routinely retest invalid AST results or that require additional confirmatory testing prior to releasing results to clinicians. The immediate accuracy of phenotypically-driven MIC values delivers reliable results while minimizing re-tests and can support a reduction in hidden costs associated with reporting delays. Through close collaboration with leading pharmaceutical companies, the Sensititre System also offers one of the widest, most up-to-date selections of antimicrobials, enabling earlier access to the latest therapies for multidrug-resistant infections. In addition, laboratories can create their own custom AST plates from a selection of over 300 antimicrobials in broad dilution ranges to consolidate and reduce offline testing. The new Sensititre ARIS HiQ AST System provides microbiology laboratories with a unique combination of class-leading broth microdilution technology, for the most accurate AST, and access to cutting-edge antimicrobials. The availability of an AST device can determine whether or not a particular therapy can be used for a critically-ill patient. As the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to report on the increasing threat of antibiotic resistance, the ability to use these newer antimicrobials is more important than ever.
The Sensititre ARIS HiQ AST System has an expanded capacity of up to 100 Sensititre plates in a limited footprint that makes it possible to process more tests at one time while conserving valuable bench space. It also features an intuitive touchscreen user interface for convenient operation; 24/7 access to critical test information; and batch load and unload capability for improved testing workflow.
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The EUROLabOffice 4.0 system provides a flexible central interface in the diagnostic laboratory, ensuring efficient workflow for many different applications and requirements. The software encompasses indirect immunofluorescence, ELISA, chemiluminescence, immunoblot and microarray analyses in autoimmune, infection, allergy and molecular genetic diagnostics. Continuous data exchange with the LIS and instruments ensures that all processes run smoothly, making the system suitable for random access applications. The software is simple and intuitive to operate, with no unnecessary manual steps, thus saving time and reducing workload for laboratory staff. The clear user interface makes it ideal for all workplaces, including the laboratory, microscopy room and office. Predefinable workflows and automatically created protocols ensure efficient organisation of the daily workload and thus faster generation of results. The software incorporates fully automated evaluation of indirect immunofluorescence results, including pattern recognition for antinuclear antibodies (ANA, based on the ICAP consensus) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). For Crithidiae luciliae (CLIFT), cell-based assays (e.g. anti-neuronal antibodies) and antigen dots (EUROPLUS), the system offers clear positive/negative classification. Furthermore, the program provides titer estimations with confidence values. The software consolidates all results into one report per patient, which includes the patient’s complete history and all images. Different user levels provide a hierarchical review of results, thus increasing security. After the verification procedure, result reports can be signed electronically and forwarded at the click of the mouse or exported into an existing LIS. Patient data, customer details and article information are all administered and archived by the system, ensuring a streamlined laboratory routine.
For more information, visit: www.euroimmun.com
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Danish company Samplix has launched its comprehensive service program to grant any laboratory access to the advantages of Xdrop™ technology. By partnering with the Samplix Service Team, researchers can leverage the unique Xdrop™ approach to address complex genomic questions, including gap closing, sequencing of repeat elements, detecting viral insertion sites, revealing unintended CRISPR edits, and more.
Xdrop™ is Samplix’s proprietary technology to enrich genomic regions longer than 100 kb from as little as 1 ng human genomic DNA and with single-molecule resolution. Unlike other target enrichment methods, Xdrop™ requires knowledge of only a short sequence within or flanking the target region for efficient target selection. Following targeted selection, multiple displacement amplification is applied to single DNA molecules compartmentalized in droplets. This ensures unbiased amplification of large DNA fragments that are representative of the target variation in the original sample. The output is ready for any short-read or long-read sequencing platform.
Commenting on the service, Henrik Pfundheller, VP Commercial Operations, said: “Our services program is designed to expertly manage workflow points that impact project success. We have regular customer consultations to establish clear research objectives and thus, secure the right experimental setup and sample quality strategy.”
The complete workflow is managed by an expert team of scientists and lab technicians with more than 10 years of experience in international genomics services, handling of precious sample types, project logistics, and dedicated customer care. Upon request, Samplix Services also performs and analyses long-read or short-read sequencing. Every step, including data processing and analysis, if requested, is carefully documented and discussed in a closing consultation.
“Whatever the reason behind a service request," added Pfundheller, “our team overcomes any challenge our customers experience, whether it relates to exploring a new application, getting help in tackling a difficult sequence, or just gaining access to the right equipment."
For more information, visit: www.samplix.com/services
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The AYE Combo from Testa Analytical is a unique GPC/SEC detector designed to have a high performance refractometer as an integral part of a viscometer, allowing both concentration and viscosity to be measured at exactly the same time on the very same sample segment.
As a consequence the AYE Combo Refractometer / Viscometer detector enables a much more accurate determination of molecular parameters and is particular suitable for applications focused on determining the structure and branching of complex polymers.
GPC/SEC is widely acknowledged as a primary analytical technique for characterizing polymers. The latest generation of complex high performance polymers however, add a notable degree of complication by requiring the use of “challenging” solvents such as DMSO, DMF and HFIP to dissolve them. Unfortunately, most GPC/SEC systems require frequent maintenance when operating with these solvents.
Drawing upon pressure transducers made out the most stable alloy available combined with highest grade 316T capillary tubing the AYE Combo detector is gaining rapid recognition as the GPC/SEC detector of choice for characterizing complex polymers in challenging solvents.
For further information on the AYE Combo Refractometer / Viscometer detector, visit: https://www.testa-analytical.com/gpc-sec-chromatography.html
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