Automating reaction zone measurement promises accurate viral vaccine testing, and independent tests comparing it to manual methods prove its value, says Synbiosis
Synbiosis, manufacturer of automated microbiological imaging solutions, says that for viral vaccine testing, its ProtoCol automated zone reader and colony counter has been proven to produce fast and accurate results.
In a study to measure the potency of three different flu vaccines, researchers at a prestigious medicines testing institute compared Synbiosis's ProtoCol system with a manual method for measuring reaction zones on single radial immunodiffusion (SRD) assay plates.
This is a standard test to determine potency of many viral vaccines.
The researchers found that the system produced rapid, reproducible results when compared to its manual method of measurement. ProtoCol is suited to this type of vaccine testing because its CCD camera can transfer an image of an SRD plate to a computer, where the ProtoCol's software automatically measures the diameter of reaction zones and transfers the data produced into an Excel spreadsheet.
Simon Johns, international product manager for Synbiosis, commented: "We are delighted that an internationally renowned medicines control facility is using the Protocol system.
We now feel confident in saying any pharmaceutical or quality control laboratories performing SRD assays will find it a convenient way of accurately measuring reaction zones that could ultimately speed up the commercial release of their vaccines."
