Porex Featured in Nature for Sample Collection from Alternative Sample Types

Diagnostics is undergoing a persistent shift towards point-of-care testing, revolutionizing the traditional model of centralized laboratory diagnostics. The integration of portable and user-friendly diagnostic devices enables tests directly at the patient’s location, reducing turnaround times and improving accessibility. This shift is fostering a more patient-centric approach to diagnostics, with a focus on timely results, efficient decision-making, and enhanced overall healthcare delivery.

Key Requirements for Sample Collection Materials

In a recent article published in the world’s leading multidisciplinary science journal Nature Biotechnology, Porex sample collection materials were used to diagnose disease conditions in exhaled breath. James J. Collins and his team from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a novel wearable device for virus detection. In the full-text article, substrates were functionalized with freeze-dried synthetic circuits using CRISPR-based tools to detect various analytes, including metabolites, chemicals, and pathogen nucleic acids.

One key benefit of this wearable detection device is that it requires minimal user intervention, with the test results only requiring the push of a button. With any point-of-care detection method, minimizing the amount of input reduces any potential error caused by the user. Porex’s sample collection portfolio excels at the delivery of analyte in direct collection to test platforms and has been utilized for other sample types, including blood, saliva, and urine, in addition to the breath sample demonstrated in this article.  

Another key requirement for sample collection materials is the low non-specific binding of analytes, allowing for accurate downstream detection and use in sensitive isothermal DNA and RNA amplification methods such as CRISPR, RT-RPA, LAMP, and SHERLOCK techniques. Again, Porex’s sample collection portfolio demonstrates the ability to capture the analyte of interest and is equally important to release that analyte downstream to the next step in the test.

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Precise test results start with a precise sample input. Looking for a sample collection device that can reduce inhibitors and deliver consistent and repeatable volumes of analyte to your diagnostic test? Porex materials can consistently collect and release plasma, urine, blood, stool, saliva, and now even breath!  If you need sample collection solutions for use in point-of-care or at-home settings, ask us about our proprietary sample adequacy technology and how our unique material capabilities have been used by the leading diagnostic companies to solve these challenges.

Porex can provide a customizable solution for you. Connect with our diagnostics team or browse our selection of samples.