EKF Diagnostics growing product portfolio highlighted at AACC 2014

EKF Diagnostics, the global diagnostics company, will highlight its expanding product portfolio on its subsidiary, Stanbio Laboratory’s booth #1933, at the AACC Clinical Lab Expo in Chicago, USA, July 29-31.

In addition to demonstrating the success of current products, including Stanbio’s BHB assay technology and EKF Molecular’s PointMan™ technology, new products will be introduced at AACC. These latest introductions result from EKF’s recent acquisition of Separation Technology Inc. (STI) and DiaSpect Medical.

The diagnostic effectiveness of Stanbio’s enzymatic Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) LiquiColor® assay is rapidly driving its acceptance in hospital laboratories across the USA as the new standard of care in ketosis testing.

Over 850 (representing 20%) US hospitals are now using the assay for accurate, specific, and quantitative testing of this primary ketone produced during ketosis. Consequently, physicians can make better-informed clinical decisions, which is changing the way hospitals manage patients displaying symptoms of ketoacidosis.

The liquid-stable BHB LiquiColor® reagent can be used on twenty manufacturers’ open-channel chemistry analyzers. The STAT-Site® M β-ketone strip-based testing system is also available as a point-of-care option.

Since its introduction last year, PointMan™ DNA enrichment technology has been shown to be sensitive enough to enable the use of a blood sample to assess a cancer patient’s mutation status.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the sensitivity of PointMan™ technology is far greater than existing PCR technology. PointMan™ can detect 1 mutant gene in 10,000 regular gene copies, whereas competing technologies can only detect 1 in 100. This maximizes the use of smaller biopsy samples and allows the multiplexing of mutations in a single test rather than many individual tests.

To be previewed at AACC, the new palm-sized DiaSpect Tm is the world’s fastest Hemoglobin measurement system. It provides laboratory-quality performance for anemia screening in any environment. Delivering results in 1-2 seconds, this analyzer is CE marked and is currently undergoing FDA approval.

EKF will launch the new PlasmaPrep™-12 centrifuge at AACC. Ideal for use in both the hospital and laboratory, the PlasmaPrep™-12 is designed for STAT serum/plasma separation and is perfect for coagulation studies. Enabling fast blood separation and ease of use, it is controlled by a microprocessor with four pre-programmed spin times.

These include the Platelet Poor Plasma mode, which provides serum or plasma separations in three minutes, and the platelet-rich plasma mode, which offers platelet-rich plasma in 30 seconds.

Julian Baines, CEO of EKF, commented: “Through recent acquisitions and product development, we have strengthened EKF’s product and services offering over the past year.

This positions EKF at the forefront of point-of-care hematology testing provision and, through Stanbio, as a leading clinical chemistry reagent provider. EKF now offers a comprehensive and cost-effective product range, meaningfully participates in personalized medicine, an area quickly becoming key within the IVD industry.”