SFC Fluidics, Inc. Receives Funding to Advance the Development of a Portable Bedside Diagnostic Instrument for the Critical Care of Brain Trauma Patients
Fayetteville, Arkansas (PRWEB) January 09, 2014 -- SFC Fluidics, Inc., a medical device and diagnostics company based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has been awarded a $1.5 million Phase II research grant for the advanced development of its diagnostic platform.
SFC Fluidics’ MD Analyzer™ platform seeks to provide timely and clinically-effective monitoring of patients suffering from severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These patients are usually bedridden and unconscious for long periods of time during which they are unable to communicate with medical staff. Ongoing rapid and progressive changes to the patient’s condition, which go unnoticed, can lead to multiple organ failures and even death. Current tests used to monitor a patient’s condition require the use of large equipment located in a centralized laboratory with the entire process taking several hours for the clinical results to reach the medical staff. During the hours-long wait for this clinical information, the patient’s condition can change significantly, potentially making the actions of the doctor ineffective.
The injured brain releases several biochemicals that can indicate whether patient health is improving or getting worse. Continuous measurement of these biomarkers will allow the trauma center staff to monitor the condition of the patient and customize the treatment strategy. MD Analyzer™ will be located at the patient’s bedside with a diagnostic readout every 10 minutes. Doctors will be able to closely and accurately track the progress of the patient, respond rapidly to any changes, and improve short- and long-term clinical outcomes.
SFC Fluidics is also developing other diagnostic instruments that will greatly improve the diagnosis and monitoring of brain injury patients. SFC Fluidics’ 10-minute pinprick blood test will provide a tool to triage patients suffering from concussion in the sports arena, on the battlefield or at the scene of an accident. The company’s point-of-care version of the TBI instrument (BioSmart™) will allow for more detailed diagnosis and monitoring of mild and moderate brain injury at civilian and military medical facilities.
We acknowledge the support by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44NS076167. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
SFC Fluidics, Inc. has unique product lines that span a diverse range of markets including point-of-care diagnostics, analytical instrumentation and drug delivery. A driving trend in biomedical and analytical instrumentation is toward higher performance, lower operating cost and portability. Our products are based on innovative technologies that improve speed, performance and affordability. The company's mission is to expand scientific knowledge, advance health care, and improve overall quality of life through our enabling microfluidics technologies. SFC Fluidics™ is a VIC Technology Venture Development™ portfolio company.
Sai Kumar, SFC Fluidics, Inc., http://www.sfc-fluidics.com, 479-527-6810, [email protected]
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