Next Generation Single Molecule Imaging to Transform In Vitro Diagnosis

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 15 Jun 2023

Image: The new proof-of-principle multi-omic platform (Photo courtesy of SMi Systems)

A groundbreaking multi-omic platform designed for in vitro diagnosis can rapidly detect disease biomarkers, leading to earlier diagnoses for a variety of life-threatening illnesses.

The state-of-the-art platform is based on SMi Systems’ (Cambridge, UK) advanced super-resolution optical technology that boasts unrivaled spatial (1.6 nanometres) and temporal (0.5 milliseconds) resolution. SMi’s automated, high-precision optical technology provides the capability to view single molecule interactions in real-time. SMi is leveraging this huge leap in optical technology to develop a diagnostic device that can identify single molecules associated with both infectious and non-infectious diseases. When paired with AI, the platform offers unparalleled quantification of disease-associated single molecules. Furthermore, its capacity to simultaneously differentiate between various diseases from a single sample and process hundreds of samples in mere minutes makes it a highly efficient diagnostic tool. SMi has developed proof-of-principle instruments and also demonstrated their effectiveness in detecting infectious diseases.

Single molecule resolution enables diseases to be detected much earlier. The resolution levels offered by SMi's technology are unprecedented and can be tailored to any molecular target, allowing individual particles to be visualized and counted directly for the first time. This offers clinicians undeniable proof of the existence of molecules associated with either infectious or non-infectious diseases. The fully automated system requires less than a second per sample to provide a diagnosis, marking a considerable improvement over less precise lateral flow tests and PCR tests that can take several minutes or even hours. With the ability to process up to 384 samples in just a few minutes, this technology could become a game-changer, particularly for large-scale patient sample screenings in healthcare settings.

“We’ve proved the success of our new platform in both respiratory diseases and cancer biomarker diagnosis, but we’re only just scratching the surface of what is possible using our single molecule imaging technology,” said Dr Andrew Thompson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at SMi.

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SMi Systems