Faster Diagnoses OnCyte

When properly understood, knowledge of the interaction and communication of cells with each other and their environment can be applied to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. For example, a recent study¹ has shown that expression of CD11b on the surface of neutrophils increases during infection. This observation is the basis for a rapid screening test for dangerous early-onset neonatal infections that can provide confirmation of an infection in a few hours, as opposed to one or two days. Because less than 6 percent of the 300,000 newborns in the United States treated annually for suspected infections actually have an infection, such a test could spare thousands of children from needless treatments and save millions of dollars.

The OnCyte Diagnostic System, from CompuCyte Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., provides the technology for such a rapid test. This system employs a laser-based cellular analyzer to establish a new class of cell-based...