AVANTRA ® Biomarker Workstation allows biotech and pharmaceutical companies to test up to 20 biomarkers at one time. The system analyzes serum or plasma samples - typically 100 ul. to a maximum of 200 ul. - that the lab technician inserts into the biochip that's placed into the workstation.
The chip - which resembles a plastic cartridge - contains a set of detector and capture antibodies that attach to a specific protein as well as fluorescent dye markers. When the dye molecules bind to the detector antibodies, the "tagged" proteins glow. The biochip can either come with a standard, off-the-shelf set of antibodies, or a custom set.
A charged-couple display (CCD) camera inside the AVANTRA ® biomarker workstation takes a picture of the glowing antibodies. Software inside the workstation next analyzes the light emission to determine which proteins have been activated on the chip and to what degree. The activated proteins are the biomarkers that indicate the presence or progress of a disease or a condition.
Because the lab assistant does not have to prepare a series of individual assays to test one sample for multiple biomarkers, the AVANTRA ® Biomarker Workstation minimizes the chance of human error and sample contamination in clinical trial testing . The lab worker opens the machine door, loads the biochip, inserts the sample into the chip with a standard pipette, and then presses the start button to initiate the assay. Sample validation is assured as the machine reads the barcode on the chip in addition to the barcode on the samples for positive identification.
Unlike a more traditional ELISA test, there's no need for a lab to use a standard curve of deviation , as this is programmed into the biochip. On top of that, the AVANTRA ® biomarker workstation takes only about 45 minutes per sample to provide accurate results.
Finally, the AVANTRA ® biomarker workstation automates lab testing. The workstation frees up the lab technician to tend to other tasks, as the assistant can actually "walk away" from the machine while the sample is analyzed . The workstation was built for drug development and biotechnology companies seeking to save money by expediting the testing process while achieving more accurate results.
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"The Devices made by DBI and contained in this website are intended for research use only and not for diagnostic use such as reporting patient-specific results or for making medical decisions in clinical trials. These devices have not been reviewed by the FDA."
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