Accumetrics has developed a family of assays to measure platelet function in response to antiplatelet therapy. The VerifyNow® system simplifies platelet-function testing in the lab using a small tabletop analyzer that requires no routine maintenance. The single-use assay cartridge incorporates a tube of whole blood that requires no sample preparation or pipetting steps, thereby minimizing preanalytical error.
     The VerifyNow Aspirin assay is waived by the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act and incorporates arachidonic acid to measure platelet response to aspirin therapy. Patient results are available within 5 minutes, allowing for a rapid assessment of whether the desired platelet-function state has been achieved.
     The VerifyNow P2Y12 assay, recently cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration, uses a dual channel cartridge that incorporates ADP and iso-TRAP to report the inhibition of platelet function by clopidogrel. Assay results are available in less than 3 minutes. The rapid result reporting allows informed therapy decisions to be made immediately.
     The VerifyNow IIb/IIIa assay incorporates the agonist iso-TRAP to measure the effect of the GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors abciximab and eptifibatide on platelet function. Results are reported within 2 minutes. This assay’s ease of use allows it to be incorporated at either the patient’s point of care or the core laboratory.
     The VerifyNow System is a whole-blood, optical aggregometer that mixes the sample with fibrinogen-coated beads and the appropriate platelet-activating agonist to induce aggregation of functional platelets. Sensors detect the amount of light transmitted through the sample and report platelet activity by a proprietary algorithm. Also, both the aspirin and P2Y12 assays incorporate a whole-blood quality-control channel in every cartridge. The applications for these assays range from measuring platelet inhibition prior to and after surgery or PCI, to measuring platelet function of patients on chronic antiplatelet therapy.

Accumetrics
(800) 643-1640; www.accumetrics.com