The following arrays are currently available:

Cardiac Array [serum]: Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB), Fatty Acid Binding Protein (FABP), Myoglobin, Cardiac Troponin I (cTnI)

Drugs of Abuse Array I [urine]: Amphetamine, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepine 1, Benzodiazepine 2, Cannabinoids, Cocaine metabolite (Benzoylecgonine), Methamphetamine, Methadone, Opiates, Phencyclidine, Creatinine (dilution marker)

Product page: Evidence MultiStat...

Announcement on Twitter: Randox unveils cardiac care technology...

Here are the five functional stages of the device:

Stage 1: A one microliter sample, 50 times smaller than a tear drop, is pipetted onto the chip, where the capillary forces begin to take effect.

Stage 2: These forces push the sample through an intricate series of mesh structures, which prevent clogging and air bubbles from forming.

Stage 3: The sample then passes into a region where microscopically small amounts of the detection antibody have been deposited. These antibodies have a fluorescent tag and similar to the antibodies within our body, they recognize the disease marker and attach to it within the sample. Only seventy picoliters (a volume one million times smaller than a tear) of these antibodies are used, making their dissolution in the passing sample extremely fast and efficient.

Stage 4: The most critical stage is called the "reaction chamber" and it measures 30 micrometers in width and 20 micrometers in depth, roughly the diameter of a strand of human hair. Similar to a common pregnancy test, in this stage the disease marker that was previously tagged is captured on the surface of the chamber. By shining a focused beam of red light, the tagged disease markers can be viewed using a portable sensor device that contains a chip similar to those used by digital cameras, albeit this one being much more sensitive. Based on the amount of light detected, medical professionals can visually confirm the strength of the disease marker in the sample to determine the next course of treatment.

Stage 5: Less a stage and more a part of the entire process is the capillary pump. The capillary pump, which has a depth of 180 micrometers, contains an intricate set of microstructures, the job of which is to pump the sample through the device for as long as needed and at a regular flow rate, just like the human heart. This pump makes the test accurate, portable and simple to use. IBM scientists have developed a library of capillary pumps so that tests needing a variety of sample

More from IBM Research: IBM Scientists Reinvent Medical Diagnostic Testing ...

Abstract in Lab on a Chip: Toward one-step point-of-care immunodiagnostics using capillary-driven microfluidics and PDMS substrates

A snippet from the New York Times:

For this electronic system of magnification, inexpensive light-emitting diodes added to the basic cellphone shine their light on a sample slide placed over the phone’s camera chip. Some of the light waves hit the cells suspended in the sample, scattering off the cells and interfering with the other light waves.

“When the waves interfere,” Dr. Brady said, “they create a pattern called a hologram.” The detector in the camera records that hologram or interference pattern as a series of pixels.

The holograms are rich in information, Dr. Ozcan said. “We can learn a lot in seconds,” he said. “We can process the information mathematically and reconstruct images like those you would see with a microscope.”

More from the New York Times...

(hat tip: Engadget)

Here's a couple videos demonstrating the Virtual Autopsy Table:

Link: Virtual Autopsy Table...

(hat tip: Gizmag)

Technology Review reports:

The new system not only provides real-time information, but also produces an image of the tumor, using chemical information, which could also help guide postoperative care. The imager could, for example, reveal a particularly aggressive form of cancer, and this information could guide oncologists in prescribing the right drug.

So far, the German researchers have tested the surgical mass-spectrometry system in several animals, including rodents, with cancer. The group is also working with veterinarians to use the scalpel during tumor-removal surgeries in dogs with naturally occurring tumors. Next month the device will go into human clinical trials, and Takáts is working with Meyer-Haake, a German electrosurgical device company, to develop the machinery.

More from Technology Review...

The integrated imager analyzes a ThinPrep Pap test slide in approximately 90 seconds, during which time each cell and cell cluster is scanned. Using optical density analysis, the integrated imager identifies diagnostically-relevant cells or cell groups and then stores coordinates of the 22 fields of interest. These 22 fields of interest are presented to the cytotechnologist for interpretation. If no abnormalities are identified by the cytotechnologist, the slide can be signed out as negative or proceed through the laboratory quality control system. A complete slide review is required if the user detects any suspicious cells within the 22 fields of view. This dual review process combines human interpretative expertise with the power of computer imaging.

Press release: Hologic Receives CE Marking for the ThinPrep® Integrated Imager...

Product page: ThinPrep...

According to Dr David Holmes of ECS, lead author of the paper, the microfluidic set-up uses miniaturised electrodes inside a small channel. The electrical properties of each blood cell are measured as the blood flows through the device. From these measurements it is possible to distinguish and count the different types of cell, providing information used in the diagnosis of numerous diseases.

The system, which can identify the three main types of white blood cells - T lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils, is faster and cheaper than current methods.

‘At the moment if an individual goes to the doctor complaining of feeling unwell, a blood test will be taken which will need to be sent away to the lab while the patient awaits the results,' said Professor Morgan. 'Our new prototype device may allow point-of-care cell analysis which aids the GP in diagnosing acute diseases while the patient is with the GP, so a treatment strategy may be devised immediately. Our method provides more control and accuracy than what is currently on the market for GP testing.

The next step for the team is to integrate the red blood cell and platelet counting into the device. Their ultimate aim is to set up a company to produce a handheld device which would be available for about £1,000 and which could use disposable chips costing just a few pence each.

Full story: Device being developed for on-the-spot blood analysis...

Abstract in Lab on a Chip: Leukocyte analysis and differentiation using high speed microfluidic single cell impedance cytometry

The Leica TCS SMD Series integrates hardware and software from PicoQuant with the high-end confocal system Leica TCS SP5 II. Researchers can now control a complete SMD experiment via one interface, the LAS AF software from Leica Microsystems. The coordination of different hardware and software components for one SMD experiment is now a thing of the past.

Complex SMD technologies are no longer complicated due to the user-friendly design of the system series. Quick and easy operation is ensured by dedicated application wizards. They guide the user step-by-step through SMD experiments and significantly maximize the reproducibility of data. With the universal SMD raw data format, one and the same data file can be analyzed in various ways and leads to quantification with maximum content.

Press release: All in One: A Single Platform to Study the Dynamics of Cellular Processes ...

Product pages: Leica TCS SMD FCS, TCS SMD FLIM, TCS SMD FLCS

The engineers attached compact microscope lenses to a holder fitted to a cell phone. Using samples of infected blood and sputum, the researchers were able to use the camera phone to capture bright field images of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans, and sickle-shaped red blood cells. They were also able to take fluorescent images of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterial culprit that causes TB in humans. Moreover, the researchers showed that the TB bacteria could be automatically counted using image analysis software.

The engineers had previously shown that a portable microscope mounted on a mobile phone could be used for bright field microscopy, which uses simple white light — such as from a bulb or sunlight — to illuminate samples. The latest development adds to the repertoire fluorescent microscopy, in which a special dye emits a specific fluorescent wavelength to tag a target - such as a parasite, bacteria or cell - in the sample.

The researchers used filters to block out background light and to restrict the light source, a simple light-emitting diode (LED), to the 460 nanometer wavelength necessary to excite the green fluorescent dye in the TB-infected blood. Using an off-the-shelf phone with a 3.2 megapixel camera, they were able to achieve a spatial resolution of 1.2 micrometers. In comparison, a human red blood cell is about 7 micrometers in diameter.

The researchers pointed out that while fluorescent microscopes include additional parts, less training is needed to interpret fluorescent images. Instead of sorting out pathogens from normal cells in the images from standard light microscopes, health workers simply need to look for something the right size and shape to light up on the screen.

Article in PLoS ONE: Mobile Phone Based Clinical Microscopy for Global Health Applications...

Press release with video of the microscope in action: UC Berkeley researchers bring fluorescent imaging to mobile phones for low-cost screening in the field...

Side image: Fluorescent image of TB bacteria taken by the CellScope.

Flashback: CellScope for Rural Microscopy On The Go

Published features of the Destiny Max:

being the only high throughput instrument on the worldwide market that allows simultaneous and automated measurement of mechanical and optical clot detection, chromogenic and immuno-turbidimetric assays;

best in class graphical user interface and touch screen technology;

the most reliable and novel cap piercing solution on the market.

Speed and Throughput
• More than 300 tests/hour
– 350 Tests/hour PT
– 270 Tests/hour PT/APTT
– 195 Tests/hour PT/APTT/FIB
• 100 samples loading capacity
• Maximised walk away time
Optimised Performance
• Cap Piercing – peace of mind
• Result standardisation with TriniVerical
• Multiple measuring wavelengths
• Complete traceability
Ease of Use and Flexibilty
• Ability to choose mechanical or optical clot detection methods
• Continuous loading operation
• Intuitive icon software
• Minimal maintenance

Press release: Trinity Biotech Receives FDA Approval For Destiny Max In The USA...