Quo-Lab™ A1c is a desktop point-of-care analyser that combines accuracy of result with a low cost per test and ease of use.

Quo-Lab is a semi-automatic point-of-care device designed specifically to meet the needs of diabetes clinics and laboratories in settings that demand low costs of purchase and use. Quo-Lab has received its CE marked and is available for sale in most global markets subject to local registration requirements.

From a simple procedure, Quo-Lab provides lab-accurate test results within four minutes (CV < 3% at 7% A1c) from a venous or finger prick blood sample of just 4 μl. Quo-Lab uses the same boronate affinity methodology used by Quo-Test and is similarly unaffected by Hb variants.

Step by step instructions are displayed on a clear, multi-lingual display. Staff training time can therefore be minimised and the opportunity for error is reduced.

Quo-Lab can store up to 7,000 results which can be downloaded as text files to a PC via the integrated USB interface.  Alternatively, results can be printed using a printer which connects via a serial port.

Results within 4 minutes
Imprecision: CV <3% at 7% A1c DCCT
Measuring range: 4­15% A1c DCCT
4 μl blood required from finger prick or venous sample
Intuitive, step by step on screen instructions minimise training time
Multi-lingual menu
Boronate affinity method which is recognized as interference free
Unaffected by Hb variants, which do not result in reduced erythrocyte life span
Traceable to the IFCC reference method
Barcode reader included to scan calibration data, patient and operator ID
User selectable dual reporting. User can select % DCCT, IFCC mmol/mol,
eAG mg/dl or eAG mmol/l
USB port
Optional lab printer available
Compact: 95 mm (h) x 205 mm (w) x 135 mm (d)
Lightweight: 0.7 kg

EKF Diagnostics is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of HbA1c analyzers, also known as Hemoglobin A1C analyzers or Glycated Hemoglobin analyzers.

HbA1c has gathered momentum as the preferred method for monitoring diabetes over the last decade. The primary advantages of HbA1c tests are that diabetic patients are not required to fast before taking a test, unlike an oral glucose tolerance test, and the procedure need only be carried out four times a year.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a non-communicable disease characterised by the body’s inability to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels due to an inability to produce or respond to a hormone called insulin.

What is glucose?

Glucose is one of the basic building blocks of our food and is the main source of energy for the body.  It is found not only in the table sugar with which you sweeten your morning coffee but as a constituent in nearly all starchy foods (potatoes, bread, pasta) and all fruit and vegetables.  Glucose is not just found in foods typically thought of as 'bad for you' such as doughnuts and chocolate. Glucose cannot be used as an energy source without the presence of insulin.

What is insulin?

Insulin is a hormone produced in a part of the digestive system called the pancreas.  Insulin regulates the uptake of glucose from the blood stream by muscles for use as an energy supply. The storage of glucose (as glycogen) by the liver is also regulated by insulin.

The consequences of diabetes

Long term exposure to high glucose levels in the blood is toxic to your tissues and organs. The inability to use glucose or store glucose due to lack of insulin or the body not responding correctly to insulin is therefore significant in terms of your health. This glucose toxicity damages blood vessels and nerves and results in damage or failure of the parts of the body supplied by those nerves and blood vessels. Parts of the body that can be affected are the heart, brain, kidneys, nerves, eyes and skin.

Diabetes types

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the pancreas not producing any insulin either due to the body destroying the cells that produce insulin as a result of an auto immune disease or as a result of damage to the pancreas.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body not being able to produce enough insulin or the body cannot respond to the insulin it does produce.

Symptoms of diabetes

Regardless of disease type, the symptoms of diabetes are the same. If you exhibit any of the following symptoms you may have diabetes and should consult your GP, who may recommend an A1c test:

• Excess urination
• Minor cuts that will not heal or take a long time to heal
• Constant thirst
• Constant skin infections
• Loss of feeling in fingers or toes
• Constant tiredness
• Blurred vision
• Unexplained weight loss
• Bleeding gums

Download the white paper on HbA1c point-of-care testing by Professor Chris Price.

Hemoglobin is an iron containing molecule present in red blood cells that is responsible for transporting oxygen around the body. Glucose can bind irreversibly to hemoglobin via a process known as glycation. Hemoglobin that has glucose attached is known as glycated hemoglobin, often abbreviated to HbA1c or simply A1c.

Because red blood cells have a life span of 120 days (three months) measuring the level of glycated hemoglobin in blood effectively shows the average blood glucose level for the previous 6-8 weeks. In conjunction with regular blood glucose monitoring diaries, A1c tests can aid care providers in determining if a patient's treatment plan needs altering in any way to better control blood glucose levels.

Quo-Test uses boronate fluorescence quenching, a patented technology, to deliver HbA1c results in four minutes. The video demonstrates how boronate fluorescence quenching technology measures glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from whole blood samples.