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A new engineering thermoplastic alloy combining the benefits SMA PMMA has been developed by The Netherlands Polyscope Polymers B.V. (U.S. office in Novi, Mich.)  to meet the needs of the rapidly growing point-of-care (POC) microfluidic medical-test device segment. The material is in use on devices completing their final agency reviews and are expected to be commercially available to medical professionals in the near future.

The injection-moldable  Xiloy SO2315 SMA/PMMA alloy reportedly offers excellent optical properties, biocompatibility with a variety of proprietary coatings, reagents, and blood and tissue products, and maintains high dimensional stability to assure accurate and reliable immunoassay test results.

The healthcare industry currently is experiencing a step-change thanks to the introduction of new technologies that are designed to lower costs and improve patient outcomes. Particularly in remote or resource-poor areas with limited healthcare infrastructure and equally limited access to quality and timely medical care — has been the development of POC diagnostic devices. These small (often handheld) units are used to diagnose and monitor various diseases and conditions in primary-care locations like physician offices, hospitals, or even patient homes. In just a few minutes, medical personnel and patients have test results back vs. days-to-weeks when samples must be sent away to external test labs. This significantly reduces the time that patients and physicians must wait for test results, speeding referrals and/or access to appropriate care, and may eventually reduce testing costs.

 For a range of conditions, health-technology expert Milos Todorovic, Ph.D., MT Analytics Group founder and managing consultant (Niskayuna, N.Y.) predicts that initially use of POC devices and their consumables will center on hospitals, clinics, and physician offices. However, longer term, as regulators and consumers gain confidence in the technology, that trend will shift to direct consumer diagnosis and condition monitoring at home and in assisted-living locations rather than traditional healthcare settings.