Medical strip is ‘smart’ science
THE world’s first medical diagnostic strip, used to calculate the clotting speed of blood, has been developed by a Northamptonshire science firm.
Microvisk Technologies, which is based at Chipping Warden, has developed a handheld system to monitor the blood clotting status of patients taking the anticoagulant drug Warfarin.
Microvisk’s ‘SmartStrip’ is a disposable strip that uses embedded sensors to work out the clotting speed of blood from a finger prick sample, and the results are displayed on a handheld reader.
The firm, which is a spin-off company from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, had to raise £6 million from investors in order to develop the technology.
The strip is based on a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) that was originally created as a movement system for nano-robots and is now used in computer projectors, iPhones, Nintendo Wii games consoles and car engines.
Microvisk will launch its Smartstrip device this year. John Curtis, chief executive officer of Microvisk, said: “We are delighted to have raised the funding needed to gear up for the manufacture and launch of our SmartStrip product in the UK this autumn.”
Seven million people in the western world use Warfarin and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that over one million new patients take the drug every year.
Patients must have regular blood tests at their doctor’s surgery or hospital clinic to ensure they receive the correct dose but the Microvisk SmartStrip enables patients to test their blood clotting capacity at home, in the same way as diabetics test for glucose.
Dr Matthew Frohn, director of Oxford Technology Management, who invest in the science company, said: “Microvisk’s significant achievement has been to use a proven sensor technology in a medical diagnostic device and in so doing create a small, simple, handheld device that is perfect for home use.
“SmartStrip could revolutionise the way that blood testing is conducted in future.”
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