West Sussex, UK, 8th April 2014: Capillary Film Technology Limited (CFT), a technology and product development company for life sciences and clinical diagnostics, today announced it has received £98K in funding as part of a Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) development contract. The funding will be used to develop a cost-effective and fully quantitative multiplexed point-of-care (POC) testing technology to aid in the assessment of acute coronary syndrome.
The POC diagnostic is based on CFT’s FluorEx™ technology, a low-cost microfluidic fluoropolymer film that possesses unique optical transparency. FluorEx uses a parallel array of 10 x 200 micron capillaries to enable rapid fully quantitative immunoassays to be incorporated in existing or emergent diagnostic technologies. The technology has the potential to provide a cost effective quantitative option for diagnosing acute coronary syndrome, resulting in reduced waiting times and improved treatment for patients. CFT’s FluorEx technology is available for licensing.
Commenting on the funding, Dr Lee Smith, CEO at CFT, said: “Our vision is to develop a next-generation lateral flow diagnostic testing technology that can measure multiple clinically relevant biomarkers, such as those used to select treatments for patients presenting with symptoms of acute cardiac syndrome, but with the low cost and simplicity required by emergency medics, paramedics, and GPs. This funding will enable us to focus on developing a diagnostic technology that meets the specific needs of NHS patients, and ultimately improve the health of patients suffering from heart attacks.”