New System for Detecting Lead in Blood

A new system for testing lead in blood is designed for use by pediatricians, family practitioners, public health systems, and military clinics. The test is to be launched at the Clinical Lab Expo at the annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), July 25-27, in Chicago (Il, USA).

ESA Biosciences Inc. (Chelmsford, MA, USA), a subsidiary of Magellan Biosciences, will introduce LeadCare II providing the company receives CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Management)-waiver status. LeadCare II is an improved version of ESA's original LeadCare system. Waived status will expand the potential sites where lead testing can be performed: for example, in physician's offices, community health centers, WIC (women, infant, and children) programs, and mobile clinics, health fairs, or home visits, thereby giving healthcare providers a new tool to reach those children and adults most at risk for lead poisoning.

LeadCare II delivers quantitative blood-lead results, equivalent to those reported by reference laboratories, from only two drops of blood in just three minutes. It is simpler to administer than traditional blood-lead tests. It requires only a finger-stick sample, can be combined with other routine blood tests, and saves administrative time spent on paper work, tracking, and follow-up.

ESA will also feature high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems for clinical diagnostics at the AACC conference. Its HPLC oncology systems have been adopted by clinical laboratories to rule out potentially fatal chromaffin cell tumors, usually found in the adrenal glands, with more sensitivity than traditional assays.




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