The July 10, 2020 online edition of MD+DI features Point-of-Care Optics Design for Testing Infectious Diseases written by Nick Allan, Manager, Bio Services, at StarFish Medical. With the subheading, “Developers of point-of-care assays and readers must consider end-user capabilities, use settings, and the purposes of testing,” Nick’s article defines Point-of-care testing (POCT) and provides Point-of-Care Infectious Diseases Diagnostics Background, the principles of B-ASSURED, and importance of Target Product Profile (TPP) in designing optics for POC testing.
He notes, “Optical imaging techniques offer a number of important advantages when developing medical devices for diagnosis at the point of care. Optical imaging can provide real-time and high-resolution microscopic and macroscopic information leading to rapid and accurate diagnosis in modern point-of-care optics design for testing infectious diseases.”
Allan concludes the artilce with this advice: “Depending on the end-user and the actual setting, the purpose of POC testing may vary (i.e., diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, airport screening, at home use). This, of course, has critical implications for the assay and reader developers. For example, the tests across the use spectrum may have remarkably different sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy requirements. Throughput and downstream information handling will also have implications for test developers. Selection and design of the appropriate point-of-care optics design for the modern POCT will be driven by having a firm understanding of all of these considerations.” READ THE ARTICLE
Nick Allan has more than 19 years of regulatory and product development experience in the field of microbiology. His innovative solutions to client issues range from proof-of-concept studies for anti-infective candidates to full-scale regulatory submission studies. Allan was a key contributor to ASTM E2799-11 (the first protocol approved by ASTM that is both a biofilm growth and disinfectant protocol substantiated by a multi-laboratory collaborative study). He holds an MS in Microbiology and BS in Biology from the University of Guelph. Read StarFish Blogs written by Nick Allan.