COVID-19Life Sciences

Life Science Companies Add Advanced Diagnostics to COVID-19 POC Tests

by YES Marketing, November 19, 2020

Life Science companies rush to make rapid point-of-care tests for COVID-19 with advanced diagnostics to help streamline patient management as cases spike.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, healthcare services worldwide are looking to providers of advanced diagnostic technologies for solutions to better inform patient and policy management. Detection of the virus itself, our immune reaction to infection or immunization, and predictive tests for disease outcome are all key measures in demand. Increasingly, diagnostic tests need to operate at point of need and give accurate results much faster than the 1-2 days for a standard laboratory-based test.

Diagnostic devices are becoming increasingly self-contained and internally sophisticated. Detection of viral RNA or protein antigen/antibody typically rely on immobilized biochemical probes added to device surfaces during manufacture. Control of surface chemistry and robust attachment of these probes is crucial for optimal device performance. Covalent bonding of DNA and protein through vapor-deposited silane monolayer coatings is an effective and scalable solution for preparing glass, plastic or silicon-based surfaces for biomolecular attachment. Low pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems provide highly stable monolayer coatings of epoxy-, or amino-terminated silane linkers to interface biochemical probes and the device surface.

Yield Engineering Systems (YES) supplies CVD systems and silane chemistry expertise to multiple organizations engaged in development and manufacture of advanced solutions for viral RNA detection, genome sequencing, antibody/antigen detection and vaccine development. Our EcoCoat monolayer deposition system is being used for process development as well as high volume manufacturing in regulated settings.

EcoCoat is a highly flexible tool providing integrated gas plasma for surface pre-cleaning and activation, precise pressure and thermal control for deposition uniformity, and controlled introduction of vaporized precursors through multiple independent delivery lines. In contrast to solution deposition methods, EcoCoat uses only a few milliliters of chemical and no solvent — resulting is a manufacturing process that is effective, reproducible, safe and environmentally friendly.

 

To learn more about EcoCoat, and its automated high-volume counterpart VertaCoat, visit www.yieldengineering.com.

COVID-19Life Sciences