Akers Biosciences Inc, Thorofare, NJ, a leading designer and manufacturer of rapid diagnostic screening and testing products, recently announced that the European Patent Office has issued a patent surrounding the company’s novel blood separator technology and method of separating a fluid fraction from whole blood. Akers was granted US patent protection for the technology in 2011.
Developed and wholly owned by Akers, the technology enables rapid blood cell separation for small volumes of whole blood, including those obtained from fingerstick samples. By utilizing the technology, serum or plasma samples are extracted within 30 to 90 seconds and are ready for immediate analysis. By contrast, conventional methods of blood cell separation are labor-intensive and time consuming, taking 30 to 120 minutes, and typically involving blood collection and laboratory personnel as well as electrically powered centrifuges and other specialized equipment.
Akers Biosciences develops, manufactures, and supplies rapid point-of-care screening and testing products designed to bring healthcare information directly to the consumer or healthcare provider. The company has advanced the science of diagnostics while responding to major shifts in healthcare through the development of several proprietary platform technologies.
Akers’ state-of-the-art rapid diagnostic assays can be performed virtually anywhere in minutes when time is of the essence. The company has aligned with major healthcare companies and high-volume medical product distributors to maximize product offerings, and to be a major worldwide competitor in diagnostics.
The technology, which further accelerates the rate at which a test result is obtained, is marketed by Akers under the brand name SeraStat and forms a key component of the company’s PIFA product range (Akers’ proprietary platform for rapidly detecting or measuring specific proteins or other substances through their properties as antigens or antibodies).
In addition to SeraStat’s incorporation within some of the company’s own diagnostic tests, Akers intends to license its proprietary blood separator technology to third parties seeking to accelerate their own testing procedures by facilitating the blood cell separation process as a component of their test.
“We believe the company’s blood separator technology has a wide range of potential applications, and we are actively seeking potential commercialization partners and licensees in both Europe and the United States,” says Raymond F. Akers, Jr, PhD, cofounder and executive chairman of the board.
“This technology can make blood cell separation dramatically quicker and less resource-intensive than traditional methods—with significant potential advantages related to cost savings, staff efficiency, and the ability to perform certain diagnostic tests in the field versus lab environments,” Akers adds.
For further information, visit Akers Biosciences.
