Rheonix to Highlight Revolutionary Channel-Free Microfluidic Device at TriCon

Fully automated molecular detection systems provide a means to simplify molecular testing, but the complexity and cost of the required instruments and disposables can hamper their utilization. That may be changing with the development of a new Smart FilmCARD™ by Rheonix Inc., an Ithaca-based developer of an automated molecular testing platform. The Smart FilmCARD is the first microfluidic device in the diagnostics industry with no channels included in its design, a breakthrough that will significantly decrease the research, development and production costs of microfluidic solutions and allow sophisticated diagnostic tests to become more widely available.

Learn More about the Smart FilmCARD™ at TriCon

Richard Montagna, Ph.D., Rheonix vice president for scientific affairs, will discuss the new device and its applications at the upcoming International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 11. Montagna's talk, "Orthogonal PCR: Sample to Actionable Results Using Coupled qPCR and High Multiplex Endpoint Detection," will describe the company's unique sample-to-actionable-results platform that allows a raw specimen to be analyzed in a completely unattended manner and achieve both endpoint and real-time PCR detection.

Complex Molecular Testing

"The Smart FilmCARD simplifies the design, cost and operation of the core Rheonix technology, giving end-users access to complex molecular testing at a fraction of the current cost," said Tony Eisenhut, president of Rheonix.

"Its unique design enables fluids to be moved from any location to any other location on the chip. Since the disposable Smart FilmCARD does not require channels to transport fluids, its versatility allows a far greater number of processes to be automatically performed than anything else on the market."

Montagna has more than 35 years of leadership experience and has managed the commercialization of more than 40 biotechnology products. He has published over 40 scientific papers, holds a number of patents in the biosensor area and is an adjunct professor in the department of biological and environmental engineering at Cornell University.

The International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference is Feb. 9-14 at the Moscone North Convention Center in San Francisco. Montagna will speak at 4:20 p.m. on Feb. 11 and will also chair the EU Regulatory Keynote address by Hans-Georg Eichler, senior medical officer for the European Medicines Agency, on Feb. 13 at 3:15 p.m.