Microfluidic point-of-care assays are a hot topic nowadays and there’s lots of buzz surrounding how to make inexpensive, quick and reliable cartridges. One area that gets less focus is how to design the actuation and quantification mechanisms within the instrument or reader.
Bioprocessing (also known as biologics manufacturing) is a branch of the medical industry where bacteria, cells or enzymes are used to create and isolate biopharmaceutical products. This is broadly accomplished in multiple upstream (e.g., cell culture, cultivation and harvesting) and downstream (e.g., filtration, centrifugation and chromatography) unit operations in concert with process analytical technology.
As an early-stage venture grows the process of technology transfer from an academic research laboratory to industry and/or scale-up setting can be a significant challenge for early-stage biotech companies. Transferring novel biotech platforms from academia into commercially relevant products requires a comprehensive mechanism that addresses funding, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, commercialization, competition, and other key […]
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder of how effective vaccines are for protecting public health and saving healthcare system resources. The world was brought to its knees at the beginning of the pandemic with countless heartbreaking deaths, but this tragedy catalyzed the accelerated development of different vaccines through collaboration between governments, pharmaceutical companies, […]
Recommendations to Avoid Non-Functional Cartridges The popular Netflix series “The Walking Dead” is all about “Zombies” – people that look normal but lack the ability to function as normal. In microfluidics, there are cartridges that seem perfectly normal and functional but are not due to internal defects. They are “the walking dead“ or “Zombie cartridges” destined […]
Several companies offer microscopes specifically designed for microfluidic applications and cell imaging. However, they are often price prohibitive and, in most cases, do not readily fit the specific requirements for a particular microfluidic application.
Chronic non-healing wounds cause a significant burden on the healthcare system and are the leading cause of limb amputation. Integrating smart bandages within the healthcare system can reduce hospitalization rates and in-clinic wound treatment time, hence reducing the overall burden on the healthcare system.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is that time of year when we celebrate the achievements of women all around the world, from political leaders and social activists to business visionaries and MedTech pioneers. For me, as an executive woman in MedTech, IWD is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the women in my field who drive innovation […]
The success of development programs in the medical device and equipment industry almost always relies on hitting technical milestones that coincide with internal or external fundraising efforts. Especially early in the program, it is critical to hit technical milestones in a cost-sensitive and timely manner. This will eventually determine if a program has legs or […]
Interference Testing, Strategy, and Detection Case Study The importance of performing assay verification BEFORE incorporation into a medical device can not be overstated. Countless hours and dollars can be wasted designing the perfect device if the detection assay fails in the field. Successful Point-of-Care (POC) medical devices increasingly rely on new and innovative analyte detection […]
This review highlights how designing Autonomous Clinical Chemistry Assay diagnostic products with kinetic read outs helps mitigate challenges with interference that are especially relevant in point of care diagnostics (POCD). Topics covered include Kinetic Assay Versus Endpoint Assay, Point of Care, Hook Effect, Clinical Laboratories Standards Institute, and real time laboratory diagnostics.
StarFish Medical YouTube subscribers grew 50% in 2022. What medical device commercialization videos were they watching?