Fast and Miniaturized ELISA testing

Biological tests are mainly centralized in diagnostic laboratories, which can result in long timescales for analysis, impacting on patient care (e.g. cardiovascular illnesses, infectious diseases, etc.). This method is also costly in terms of technician time and equipment. Making biological analysis high performance and accessible is a challenge that faces all companies developing immunological (ELISA) tests. The choice of platform, its performance, speed, and availability have a strong impact on the adoption of the analysis. Currently, the most widely used point-of-care format is the strip test. This is however often limited to a qualitative result, and thus the analytical sensitivity and specificity may be limited for certain applications (e.g. hormonal tests, some infectious disease or emergency tests). Lab-on-a-chip formats are emerging but remain costly in terms of development, and are not accessible to diagnostic companies wishing to make use of such technologies.

We have developed a rapid device based on extremely simplified technology, making it possible to carry out ELISA-type laboratory tests near patients. Our technology, based on an innovative method requiring no washing steps, enables the equivalent of an ELISA test to be carried out in a single, 15-minute step with the same analytical performance, using one drop of blood (5uL) in a miniaturized device (20 x 20 x 20cm). The process is extremely simple and requires no technician or blood to be taken. It can thus be advantageously used and tested by laboratories before being used in surgeries or out in the field. This device is based on a unique micro magnetism technology that locally attracts nanoparticles linked to antigen antibodies, thus effecting a separation of the specific signal emanating from the supernatant. Our promising technology has been favorably compared to hospital serology testing machines (malaria, Toxoplasmosis, etc.) and antigen tests (CRP, osteopontin, etc.), exhibiting similar and even better performance.