LacriScience
The company’s LacriPen is a handheld, portable, diagnostic tool that measures osmolarity to within 2 mOsml. It uses a technique called surface plasma residence, which calculates minute changes in the refractive index on a very thin gold film. The reflectivity minimum line produces moves as a measure of osmolarity; when in use the device is also self-calibrating, Geddes said.
The top of the pen is disposable, with cost to produce minimal.
LacriScience has been able to detect tear osmolarity in the range of 260-400 mOsml and a tear osmolarity resolution of about 2 mOsml. The MMP-9 sensor detects a dynamic range from 1-100 ng/ml. The company plans to market the device for about $1,400 per pen, with an osmolarity sensor of $6/eye. Other diagnostics will be about $7.50/test. LacriScience plans on submitting to the FDA for 510(K) approval by November, and manufacturing facilities should be completed by December.
Presenter:
Chris Geddes
Dr Chris D. Geddes, PhD, FRSC, Professor and Serial Entrepreneur, is internationally known in fluorescence and plasmonics publishing over 250 peer-reviewed papers, is the author of > 20 books and has secured in excess of $25M in recent years to pursue his research aspirations at the University of Maryland.