Enabling high performance and cost-efficient Point-of-Care diagnostics using a new innovative synthetic lateral flow substrate

Project Information

SyntheticPaper

Grant agreement ID: 855892

DOI

10.3030/855892

Project closed

EC signature date 30 January 2019

Start date 1 February 2019

End date 31 July 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

MERCENE LABS AB
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SyntheticPaper (Enabling high performance and cost-efficient Point-of-Care diagnostics using a new innovative synthetic lateral flow substrate)

Reporting period: 2019-02-01 to 2019-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Mercene Labs is a Swedish SME with expertise in material design for adhesion and surface control. Our new innovation Synthetic Paper comes from an urgent industry need to increase the performance of point-of-care (PoC) medical diagnostic tests by finding better alternatives to the traditional paper-based lateral flow products currently in use. This need is especially large for tests of biomarkers that must be detected in low concentrations, and when quantitative precision is needed. If the performance of PoC tests would be improved, they can partly replace costly and time-consuming central laboratory tests, leading to timelier clinical decisions and faster access to treatment for millions of patients. Synthetic Paper is a material specifically designed to address the performance needs by providing superior material properties in comparison to the state-of-the-art materials like paper and nitrocellulose. Better repeatability and reproducibility of geometry and surface energy of the material will allow diagnostic tests to reach the performance standards needed, even for diseases that traditionally have been difficult to diagnose rapidly.
Mercene Labs has scaled up the patent protected Synthetic Paper from lab-scale to sheet-scale. This project studied the feasibility of providing our customers higher-added value products through surface modifications, making the material more suited to the needs of the manufacturers of PoC tests.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We studied the feasibility of providing our customers higher-added value products through surface modifications, making the material more suited to the needs of the manufacturers of PoC tests. We worked together with several customers to set specifications, and most notably, performed tests at the R&D/production facilities in one of the largest multinational companies in our business area. The material performed well, even above expectation, and informed small tweaks of the material, necessary to fit industry standard equipment.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The material performed well, even above expectation, and informed small tweaks of the material, necessary to fit industry standard equipment. Once fully implemented, Synthetic Paper will be ready for the first high volume applications.

Microstructure of SyntheticPaper, by Mercene Labs