Imego has developed a prototype instrument with an associated disposable chip for point-of care-diagnosis of prostate cancer. At present, samples are sent to central laboratories so the patient and the doctor have to wait about a week for the test results. With the Imego instrument, the test results are received within minutes, so the doctor can discuss them immediately with the patient. Early detection and treatment are vital, and the aim behind the development of the Imego instrument was to give cancer specialists a tool to meet these requirements.
Point-of-care testing of PSA
Early prostate cancer detection and follow-up measurements during treatment depends on determining the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. Working together, the Imego Institute and CanAg Diagnostics AB (now Fujirebio) have developed a new technology platform for point-of-care testing of PSA. The measurement method is based on a fluorescent sandwich immunoassay performed on serum samples. The method used is generic, and the platform can be modified for detection of other serum-carried disease markers. Examples of the areas of application include diseases coupled to the heart or brain and the detection of allergies, rheumatism and infection. The Imego platform can also be expanded to include the detection of multiple analytes, for example, to quantify both total and free PSA.
Our concept for point-of-care measurements includes an analysis instrument for quantitative detection and disposable chips containing all the necessary chemicals and bioreagents. Only the patient serum sample needs to be added to the chip. The instrument performs automated control of the fluidics during the assay procedure and performs the fluorescence measurements on the chip.
We have achieved a detection limit below 0.1 ng/ml PSA, which is sensitive enough for measuring clinically relevant data.
