Reagent

Precision dispensing of reagents for the assembly of point-of-care devices and lab-on-a-chip systems delivers accuracy, consistency, linearity, adjustability, wax handling capability, volume production capability while minimizing contamination. Major point-of-care analyzer companies have already adopted Nordson ASYMTEK products.

Point-of-care (POC) testing includes many parameters such as blood gas, electrolytes, glucose and hematocrit. These items require different reagents or biofluid in different tiny cavities on a small cassette for one time simultaneous testing. And the test requires highly calibrated results in cassette by cassette and in testing by testing. Furthermore, thousands cassettes need to be prepared every month. The consistency of reagent amounts dispensed over different reagents and repeated operations thus are critical for POC testing. Therefore, consistent reagent dispensing is a key feature in the market. Volume production capability is also another key.

The reagent amounts need to be adjusted depending on test items and cavity sizes. Linearity on reagent dispensing is very helpful for the adjustment because it lets cassette producers predict reagent amounts by changing dispensing parameters: linearity is a third key feature for reagent dispensing.

No contamination is tolerated for these point-of-care devices. Minimizing contact between unnecessary tools and specimens is required. Non-contact dispensing thus is the fourth key feature and Nordson ASYMTEK offers several solutions with jet and valves and automated dispensing systems for these key features - consistent dispensing, volume production, dispensing linearity and non-contact-by in-line automatic jet dispensing.

Lab-on-a-chip (biochip) applications require dispensing microfluids such as reagents and manipulating or guiding fluid flow on a chip for life science, drug discovery, biotechnology and ecology research. Dispensing microfluids requires the same key features as point-of-care applications. But manipulating microfluid is a unique technique for fluid control. Wax, hot melt or phase change dispensing is a tool for the manipulation: wax is used for a gate or dam to stop fluid flow, and vaporizing wax leads fluid flow and initial biochemical reactions.