CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
At the AACC Show 2014
September 2014—EKF Diagnostics highlighted its expanding product portfolio at its subsidiary’s booth, Stanbio Laboratory. DiaSpect Tm, which previewed at the meeting, is a palm-sized hemoglobin measurement system that gives laboratory-quality performance for anemia screening. Delivering results in one to two seconds, this analyzer is CE marked and currently undergoing FDA approval.
Also launched at the meeting, the PlasmaPrep-12 centrifuge for hospital and laboratory use. The PlasmaPrep-12 is designed for stat serum and plasma separation and is ideal for coagulation studies. Enabling fast blood separation and easy to use, the centrifuge is controlled by a microprocessor with four preprogrammed spin times. The Platelet Poor Plasma mode provides serum or plasma separations in three minutes and the Platelet Rich Plasma mode provides platelet rich plasma in just 30 seconds.
Other products highlighted include Stanbio’s enzymatic Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (β-HB) LiquiColor assay for accurate, specific, and quantitative testing of this main ketone produced during ketosis. The liquid-stable LiquiColor β-HB reagent can be used on open-channel chemistry analyzers from twenty different manufacturers. A point-of-care option is also available in the form of the STAT-Site M β-HB strip-based testing system.
The latest results from EKF’s collaboration with the Institute of Life Sciences at the University of Swansea, U.K., have continued to confirm the effectiveness of its PointMan DNA enrichment technology for isolating and characterizing low-level DNA mutations in blood. The PointMan is a real-time PCR technology sensitive enough to assess the mutation status of a cancer patient by using a blood sample. PointMan can detect one mutant gene in 10,000 normal gene copies. This maximizes the use of smaller biopsy samples and allows the multiplexing of mutations in a single test rather than many individual tests.
In news released before the meeting, EKF acquired, in March and April of this year, Separation Technology, a manufacturer of hematology analyzers and centrifuges based in Sanford, Fla.; Selah Genomics, a developer of molecular diagnostics for personalized medicine and centrifuges based in Greenville, SC; and DiaSpect, a Swedish manufacturer of point-of-care hemoglobin analyzers.
EKF Diagnostics, +44 07825 708936