The cost of diagnostics technologies is one of the fundamental global health aspects to be considered for accessing the market with competitive and sustainable products. Exploiting the catalytic properties of the highly electroactive 3D Graphene Foam presents a number of advantages, such as a lower production cost and engineering, ease of mass production, and higher stability both in working conditions and long-term storage. To get a greater insight into significant opportunities afforded by electrochemical assay development services, today, we speak with Pablo, our Head of Research and Development, and Leila Kashefi, our Senior Electroanalytical Development Scientist to find out more about our Assay Development Services.

When comparing various biological assays or even assessing the performance of a single one, there are various factors we can look at. These include the likes of the limit of detection (LoD), dynamic range, specificity and selectivity. However, another important factor that we can consider is the sensitivity of a bioassay. Sensitivity can be defined as the ability of an assay to accurately distinguish between varying levels of a disease. A bioassay that is regarded as sensitive has the ability to discriminate between small changes in the target analyte concentration. Thus, it would be able to give a range of assay results, whereas a less sensitive test is unable to distinguish between small changes and therefore may present results as solely positive or negative (1).

Selectivity and Specificity

Since first being isolated in 2004, graphene has generated huge excitement worldwide. Not only does graphene hold vast promise to replace silicon as the next ‘wonder material’, but it also offers to enhance silicon’s existing capabilities where the two materials are used in combination. However, despite proven success, the complexity of graphene manufacturing has limited its potential – until now. By developing a simple and cost-effective method for producing 3DG Foam (3DG) reproducibly and at scale, we have smashed through the barriers preventing graphene’s mainstream use and opened up a wealth of development opportunities. One area especially keen to leverage these benefits is the realm of bioassay development, where graphene’s unique properties can be exploited to overcome many common bioassay development challenges.