Piezofilm Technology Detects Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone

Piezofilm-based sensor technology is sensitive, possesses a wide dynamic range, and is very precise. It is used for a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test, one of the most demanding immunoassays, where clinical benefit is improved by more convenient testing and a close link between diagnostics and therapy.

TSH testing is used to diagnose a thyroid disorder in a symptomatic individual; screen newborns for underactive thyroid; monitor thyroid replacement therapy in people with hypothyroidism; diagnose and monitor female infertility problems; and occasionally help evaluate the function of the pituitary gland.

The piezofilm detection system consists of a bench-top, portable reader, and a single use, disposable cartridge, which acts as the whole blood collection device. It works with whole blood, removing the need for a red cell separation step, thus reducing sample volumes. These characteristics of the system deliver improved analytic performance, simple operation, and faster time to result.

The piezofilm TSH test is an example of how Vivacta's (Sittingbourne, UK) piezofilm sensor platform will allow tests previously confined to the laboratory to be conducted in the clinic or close to the patient's bedside. POC testing is one of the fastest growing market sectors in diagnostics; Vivacta's platform creates the opportunity for diagnostic companies to translate central lab testing directly to the POC.

Vivacta's website, with the help of informative graphics, provides a concise introduction into how this innovative technology enables the creation of fast, simple, and highly accurate immunoassay-based near patient diagnostic tests. The website also reviews the benefits of basing critical diagnostic measurements on an electrical output as opposed to current optical methods of signal detection, such as photometric, fluorescence, and chemiluminescence.

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