System provides an indication of vaccine potency by automatically measuring reaction zones in single radial immunodiffusion assays
Synbiosis has introduced its new ProtoCol reaction zone reader and colony counter.
The system, which provides an indication of vaccine potency by automatically measuring reaction zones in Single Radial Immunodiffusion (SRD) assays, is essential for manufacturers that need to rapidly supply essential vaccines.
The ProtoCol system, consisting of a CCD camera integrated to a PC and software, can automatically read an entire SRD plate, measure reaction zones and transcribe the results into Excel. ProtoCol's software also flags areas of dispute such as fuzzy edges, so that users can measure them manually with the on-screen ruler.
Manually reading an SRD assay, a repetitive and labour intensive task, takes on average 1.5 hours and therefore, ProtoCol offers the potential to increase throughput by at least one hundred times.
Since ProtoCol produces results in a flexible Excel format, users can export them directly into virtually any statistical programme without re-keying.
This not only saves time but also prevents data entry errors and vastly improves accuracy. Simon Johns, international product manager for Synbiosis said: "At a time when governments are stepping up programmes to vaccinate against life threatening diseases, we are pleased to supply the new ProtoCol specifically for vaccine potency testing. The system can now read reaction zones on SRD assays with such accuracy and speed that it is the prefect solution for pharmaceutical companies being pressured to manufacture safe and effective vaccines at short notice."
