TRIMERO has added to its catalogue a new Serum Amyloid A, CE-IVD marked, particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay. Applications are available for the most popular clinical chemistry analysers, and for IMMAGE® nephelometers of Beckman Coulter. In order to ensure lot to lot traceability, the assay has been standardized to the Serum Amyloid A (SAA) 1^st International Standard (NIBSC code: 92/680) of the WHO (World Health Organization).

Other available assays for turbidimetry and nephelometry include:

KLoneus® Free Light Chains (FLC), IgD Immunoglobulins, Retinol Binding Protein (RBP) for serum and urine, Soluble Transferrin Receptor (sTfR), Hemopexin, Cystatin-C for serum and urine, A1-Microglobulin, B2-Microglobulin for serum and urine, Kappa and Lambda Light Chains for serum and urine, Complement C1q, Complement C5, Factor B (C3 Proactivator), C1 (Esterase) Inhibitor.   

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Testa Analytical Solutions has published a new applications report that demonstrates how Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) can be used as an effective analytical technique for analysing virus particles in solution.
The report examines four fish viruses incubated under laboratory culture conditions that have the potential to wreak significant economic damage to both recreational and commercially important fish populations.
Traditional visual methods of observing virus particles in solution give a snapshot of only a very small and potentially unrepresentative sampling volume. By comparison, the technique of particle analysis using dynamic light scattering yields an ensemble average of particles present in these solutions. Data presented in the report is from DLS measurements made on a NanoBrook ZetaPALS instrument equipped with a BI-MAS accessory to provide particle sizing capability.
The authors discuss how analysing virus particles incubated in the laboratory present a challenge, as they must be grown within cells in a media containing albumin and other small proteins, such as those present in Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) solution. When virus particles are released from the cells, the cell fragments are large and can be separated by centrifugation, but the smaller proteins of the media cannot be removed. Careful selection of the distribution parameters from a dynamic light scattering experiment allows the size distributions of virus particles to be clearly observed in the presence of much smaller proteins that constitute the media.
The results presented in the applications report clearly show the presence of virus particles with the expected average dimensions when observed by an intensity weighted distribution. However the absence of these particles in the number distribution shows the virus particles are present in relatively small numbers compared to the proteins and other small molecules in cell growth media.
The Nanobrook ZetaPALS from Testa Analytical provides a platform for zeta potential determination of nanoparticles and colloids in water with salt concentrations less than 75 millimolar ionic strength. The instrument is designed to eliminate the shortcomings inherent in other zeta potential instruments.

• For a copy of the application report, visit https://testa-analytical.com/papers/paper24.html
• For further information on the NanoBrook ZetaPALS instrument, visit https://www.testa-analytical.com/zeta-potential-equipment.html

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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 and complementary member of the GEM Premier family, the GEM Premier ChemSTAT system is a whole-blood analyser designed for rapid basic metabolic panel (BMP) testing at the point of care, primarily in hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) and clinical laboratories. The system provides laboratory-quality results on-demand, in less than 70 seconds, from venous or arterial whole blood samples, with no preparation required. Ultimately, this aids in diagnosis for timely triage of life-threatening conditions and enables rapid risk stratification, prioritization and treatment of high-risk, acutely ill patients. BMP is one of the most widely ordered tests for diagnosing acute conditions, such as kidney failure, sepsis and septic shock, and diabetic ketoacidosis. Featuring a complete BMP panel, the GEM Premier ChemSTAT system offers Creatinine, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) and measured tCO2 – as well as Lactate, Hematocrit, pH, pCO2, Sodium, Potassium, Ionized Calcium, Chloride and Glucose. To assure laboratory-quality results at the point of care, the GEM Premier ChemSTAT system integrates Intelligent Quality Management (iQM), providing a complete picture of quality for each sample – continuously and in real-time – and automated detection, correction and documentation of any action it performs, to ensure the quality of every test result and supporting immediate patient management decisions. No competitive system offers this assurance of sample quality and compliance. Like all GEM Premier systems, GEM Premier ChemSTAT analysers are also exceptionally easy to use. The all-in-one, multi-use GEM PAK cartridge automates the most labour- and skill-intensive processes. Stored at room temperature, GEM PAKs are simply replaced every three weeks, requiring no maintenance or additional handling. All testing components are self-contained, limiting biohazard and infection risk for operators and patients. Additionally, GEMweb Plus Custom Connectivity enables management of all GEM Premier analysers in a network, including the GEM Premier ChemSTAT system, for complete control of instruments, operators and data oversight from any location. GEM Premier systems, combined with GEMweb Plus 500 connectivity, deliver a complete solution for improved patient care and efficiency.

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