EKF Diagnostics to Premier Novel Diagnostic Tests at Medica 2013

EKF Diagnostics, the global point-of-care diagnostics business, announces it will be premiering two novel diagnostic tests at Medica.

EKF will introduce an updated version of Lactate Scout+, a hand-held POC analyzer for the measurement of lactate. This third version of Lactate Scout+ features hematocrit compensation which uniquely ensures that results from the analyzer are highly accurate, particularly in subjects with high concentrations of hematocrit such as elite athletes and neonates.

A second feature of the upgraded analyzer is that Lactate Scout+ now provides the fastest results (10 seconds) from the smallest sample of capillary blood (0.2 µL) of any competing device.

The second test to be introduced by EKF at Medica is a new test kit for Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor receptor 1 (sTNFr1). sTNFr1 identifies diabetic patients at high risk of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), up to 10 years in advance. Based on a standard ELISA, the test detects circulating levels of sTNFr1 in just a few hours. Early diagnosis of ESRD leads to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. The ELISA kit, which was developed in conjunction with the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, USA, is also available for sale.

EKF CEO, Julian Baines commented, “20 years after the onset of overt nephropathy, approximately 20% of diabetic patients will have progressed to ESRD. Our sTNFr1 assay will lead to improvements in the way patients are managed and reduce the burden on healthcare systems. We are confident that sTNFr1 will provide a step-change in the way ESRD is detected and managed and we are in the process of identifying accredited test labs in the USA to complement our work in Europe.”