| Manufacturer |
PointCare Technologies |
Alere (formerly Inverness Medical) |
Partec |
| Instrumentation |
Point of care instrument |
Point of care instrument |
Point of care instrument |
| Assay principle |
CD4 and haematology contained in one unit. |
All test reagents sealed within disposable cartridge. |
Compact flow cytometric device. Uses dry reagents |
|
Gold nanoparticles conjugated to CD4 antibodies (no fluorescence). LED light source. |
Portable analyser uses static image analysis and cell counting principles |
|
| Parameters measured |
Absolute CD4, CD4%, Hb, differential white cell count |
Absolute CD4 |
Absolute CD4 and CD4% |
| Specimen |
40μl whole blood in EDTA |
25μl capillary or venous blood |
20μl whole blood in EDTA |
| Throughput |
50 samples/day |
3 samples/hour |
250 samples/day |
| Compatible with independent EQA/PT programmes? |
No |
Under investigation |
Compatible with German EQA programme |
| Is there access to compatible full process QC reagent? |
No data available |
No data available |
Company produce dry stabilised blood samples for QC |
| Maximum length of time from blood draw to testing |
8 hours |
24 hours |
Provisional data suggest 24 hrs |
| Can the test be performed on fixed/ stabilised blood |
No data available |
Compatible with Transfix (CytoMark, UK) |
No data available |
| Complexity/training required |
Moderate |
Minimal |
Moderate |
| Environmental/energy issues |
Requires mains or battery power |
Requires mains or battery power |
Requires mains or battery power |
| Robustness to heat/humidity |
Reagents do not require refrigeration. Instrument: 18–34°C, <80% relative humidity, non-condensing |
No refrigeration required (dried reagents) |
No refrigeration required (dried reagents) |
