Alliance to Market Magnetic Feasibility Service

A strategic alliance has been formed to market a magnetic feasibility service incorporating the complementary technologies of custom particle conjugation and magnetic particle detection technology.

The service is targeted to point-of-care (POC) diagnostic companies that require improved performance of magnetic particle assays. The service includes the particle conjugation, which attaches antibodies to magnetic particles, the production of mini-batches of assays in the form of half-dipstick tests, and the test results, which will yield a dose-response data set. The collaboration, between BBInternational (Cardiff, UK) and Quantum Design (QD, San Diego, CA, USA), combines BBI's experience in colloidal gold nanoparticles, magnetizable particles, and conjugation chemistry with the adaptable, sensitive, and quantitative features of the magnetic assay reader (MAR) platform of QD.

Whether for a POC, environmental, or veterinary application, the service will provide an inexpensive proof of principle for the development of a test in magnetic particle format, The service will also reduce R&D time and help eliminate many common lateral flow, rapid-test problems before further development.

The MAR is a compact, low-cost instrument that provides analysis of biochemical analytes based on the detection of superparamagnetic particles that bind to the analyte in a sandwich assay format. The detector measures the local magnetic field expressed by the total mass of magnetic particles in the detection region. Then, by way of an empirically established calibration curve, the magnet measurement can be correlated to the number of molecules of interest.

If satisfactory results are obtained, customers may decide to purchase a MAR Reader, or engage BBI's contract development team to further develop the magnetic assay. The magnetic feasibility service is a fast, inexpensive way to evaluate the performance of standard assays, using magnetic particles. Dr. Jim Carney, technical director of BBI, believes that the collaboration between BBI and Quantum Design will enable BBI to demonstrate its lateral flow expertise and to adapt and use BBI's core technology to incorporate different particles other than gold colloid.




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QD