Optical, Electrical, Immunological measurements:
In recent years, the rapid development of biosensor technologies has provided an important support for the advancement of POCT technology. Three different measurement methods are currently used in POCT tests: (1) optical measurement, (2) electrical measurement, and (3) immunological measurement (=immunoassay). In this content, we will look at the principle of immunological measurement to see how it is utilized in the diagnostic system.
What is the Immunological measurement
The immunological measurement method is one of the most frequently used methods for analyzing and identifying antigens. The advantage of this method over conventional methods is that it has high reproducibility because the antibodies immobilized can specifically recognize antigens and thus can be used for highly accurate measurements.
The most commonly used immunoassay method is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Since the completion of the reaction is detected using the color reaction as well as the enzymatic reaction using the primary antibody and the secondary antibody, it is characterized by excellent sensitivity in accuracy and in displaying quantitative values.
ELISA
In order to use the ELISA technique, antigen immobilization on the plate, "blocking" process to remove non-specific binding, and washing process to remove non-specific adsorption are required several times. And since the selection of "pair" of the primary antibody and the secondary antibody is important, it requires the skill of an expert and takes several hours. However, the current POCT devices have succeeded in miniaturization by developing these technologies, and maximized user convenience by reducing the stage of experiment preparation.
Reasons for using immunoassay in POCT
In the antibody enzyme reaction, an enzyme reaction that can be measured optically and electrochemically occurs, which is very useful for miniaturizing the measurement method. If MEMS and Microfluidics are combined with the miniaturization of the antibody reaction, it is possible to detect low-molecular substances and low-dose substances. For example, drugs or hormones can be detected, and specific biomarkers and infectious disease markers for each disease are used to determine the disease. Through this, it is helpful in making a clinical judgment.
Expansion of immunoassay-based POCT applications
As the awareness of infectious diseases increases worldwide, the field of application of immunoassay is also gradually expanding. In the food field, immunoassay-POCT is used for rapid detection of pathogens, and in the agricultural and livestock industry, it is also used for item-specific monitoring. In particular, in the medical field, immunology-based POCT products are widely used in that they can easily and quickly identify the presence of target substances regardless of time and place. For human health, the practicality of POCT with a wide range of applications and securing precision and accuracy will increase even more.
[FREND System]
Rapid quantitative immunoassay analyzers
Specifications
Specifications | FREND System | FREND AP |
Electrical Rating-Voltage | 100 - 240 V | 100 - 240 V |
Electrical Rating-Current | 1.7 A | 1.7 A |
Electrical Rating-Frequency | 50 / 60 Hz | 50 / 60 Hz |
Output-Voltage | DC 12 V | DC 12 V |
Output-current | 3.33 A | 5.0 A |
Dimensions (WxLxH) | 240 x 260 x 175 mm | 195 x 230 x 210 mm |
Weight | 3 Kg | 4 Kg |
Yes Easy-to-use | Yes Rapid (3 minutes) | Yes Small sample volume
