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Please check out our Immunoassay Analyzer and Immunoassay System sections for more information or to find manufacturers that sell these products.
Although new and innovative technology has enabled more and more laboratory testing to occur at the bedside or physician’s office, the central laboratory is hardly threatened with extinction. National data on testing volumes suggest that medium- and large-sized laboratories are busier than ever, and the huge range of their capabilities, including gold-standard diagnostic testing and the capacity for large numbers and types of tests, assures them an abiding and pivotal position in the Clinical Diagnostics world.
This is also true for immunoassay systems, which combine high-throughput automation with the wide applicability of immunoassay technology. The immunoassay is an analytical technique that employs antibodies and/or antigens to detect and measure a wide variety of analytes, including drugs of abuse, therapeutic drugs, hormones, plasma proteins, enzymes, nutritional factors, and markers of disease.
There are now many systems available, and their features vary. However, all offer reliable workhorse devices that provide the basics for clinical laboratory productivity and that have evolved to require minimal maintenance or technician interaction.
- Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (Tarrytown, NY) offers five fully automated immunoassay platforms in the U.S. that accommodate the size and production levels of large-, medium-, and small-sized laboratories; and a disease-focused menu for over 100 tests. Most systems are random-access instruments, and provide STAT sampling. There are two ADVIA Centaur® Systems with a testing menu that includes but is not limited to tests for IgE, thyroid function, cardiac markers, hormones, viral hepatitides, infectious disease, prenatal infections, therapeutic drug monitoring, and tumor markers. The ADVIA Centaur XP Immunoassay System is a floor-model system, handling up to 240 tests/hr. It features 30 on-board assays and connectivity to a variety of automation solutions. The ADVIA Centaur CP System is a bench-top immunoassay test instrument for mid-volume laboratories. It features 15 on-board assays and handles up to 180 tests/hr. There are two IMMULITE® 2000 Immunoassay Systems for medium- and high-volume laboratories that can accommodate up to 200 tests/hr. The testing menu expands on the options offered by the ADVIA systems and includes canine thyroid tests, and esoteric tests. Both systems can test for total IgE antibody or for specific IgE antibodies to more than 400 allergens. The new floor-model IMMULITE 2000 XPi Immunoassay System features a customer-input-based new design that maximizes workflow and enhances productivity. It also has maximum integration features for automation and LIS. The floor-model IMMULITE 2000 Immunoassay System has been designed specifically for optimum efficiency and consolidation. It features connectivity to automation systems. There is also a bench-top IMMULITE 1000 Immunoassay System for small- and medium-sized laboratories. It features a consolidated footprint and accommodates up to 120 tests/hr. It has a broad menu, but does not perform testing for allergen-specific IgE antibodies.
- Randox Laboratories-US Ltd. (Kearneysville, WV) offers the Evidence Protein Biochip Array Technology systems. They feature multiplex testing from a single sample and have LIMS connectivity. Biochip Array Technology works by combining a panel of related tests on a single biochip with a single set of reagents, controls and calibrators. A single, undivided sample is tested. The results are read by a CCD-camera and custom image-processing software. Each biochip has 25 Discrete Test Regions (DTRs) and each DTR holds an individual test. This means that 23 tests can be carried out with two reserved for internal quality control. Randox’s Evidence Evolution is claimed to be the world's first fully automated random-access biochip testing platform with capability to test more than 2940 tests/hr. This analyzer has a broad range of applications, providing clinical, research, and toxicology arrays. The Evidence Multstat is an easy to use, fully automated bench-top analyzer capable of providing multiple test results within 20 minutes. It is designed to provide laboratory-quality results outside the laboratory, making it ideal for testing near the site of patient care. Currently (March, 2013), the analyzer can utilize the drugs of abuse and cardiac arrays; other arrays suitable for use with this instrument are in development.
- Abbott Diagnostics (Abbott Park, IL) offers the AxSYM® System, which Abbott claims is used worldwide in more than 10,000 laboratories. The system combines continuous-access, random-access, and STAT processing with a broad testing menu, allowing medium- and high-volume clinical laboratories to process a variety of immunodiagnostic tests simultaneously and to add tests while the instrument is running. The test menu includes cancer biomarkers, cardiac markers, drugs of abuse/toxicology, infectious diseases, metabolic analytes, therapeutic drug monitoring, and thyroid markers. The Abbott AxSYM system utilizes three technologies, including fluorescence-polarization, microparticle-enzyme, and ion-capture immunoassays. The rates of throughput range from 80 tests/hr up to an average of 120 tests/hr.
Please check out our Immunoassay Analyzer and Immunoassay System sections for more information or to find manufacturers that sell these products.