New Device simplifies saliva collection from infants ensuring both child safety and accurate biomarker assay results
State College, PA (PRWEB) July 15, 2011
Saliva is the preferred testing fluid for many biomarkers used in developmental and behavioral studies with children because it can be collected in a minimally-invasive, pain-free manner. Saliva collection devices previously used for infants suffered from a number of problems, including rejection by the infants due to taste or texture, inadequate sample volume recovery, retention of biomarkers within the device, and introduction of contaminants into the sample. The new SIS addresses all of these needs.
Made of the same durable, inert polymer as our Salimetrics Oral Swab (SOS) for adults and children over six, the SIS is manufactured with a smaller diameter (5 mm) suitable to the tiny mouths of infants. The extra length of the SIS (90 mm), with one end attached to its packaging, can be safely held by an adult while the other end is placed in the infant’s mouth. After collection, the packaging is peeled back and removed.
According to Mary Curran, Technical Support Specialist at Salimetrics, “Researchers report that infants readily accept the SIS and that volumes collected are typically in the range of 200-1000 µL, which allows testing for multiple analytes. This is in contrast to results with other collection devices which typically yielded sample volumes of 100 µL or less. Loss of data due to inadequate sample volumes is much less of a problem with the SIS.”
The SIS is approved for use with cortisol, testosterone, alpha-amylase, chromogranin A, CRP, SIgA, and cotinine, allowing assessment of immune/inflammatory function and exposure to nicotine products.
Saliva holds the key to examining biological elements such as hormones, oral health, reproductive health, DNA, infectious disease exposure, inflammation, and more. Salivary analytics can be ideal because gathering saliva is minimally invasive; it takes little training, can be performed quickly, and is pain-free for patient or research subject.
About Salimetrics
Founded in 1998, Salimetrics, LLC supports researchers, the immunodiagnostic industry and functional testing laboratories around the world with innovative salivary immunoassay products and services. Salimetrics measures salivary biomarkers, including: alpha amylase, androstenedione, blood contamination, cortisol, cotinine, c-reactive protein, DHEA, DHEA-S, estradiol, estriol, progesterone, 17a-hydroxyprogesterone, secretory IgA, and testosterone and provides salivary DNA analysis.
Salimetrics offers a variety of training options for researchers. In addition to workshops at universities, Salimetrics hosts 2-day Spit Camps in its State College, Pennsylvania location that features a full-day seminar followed by a second day of focused hands-on lab work with Salimetrics assays. Salimetrics Europe also offers Spit Camp at its facility in Cambridge, UK that includes a half-day seminar and half-day lab practicum. Spit Camp Workshops are available in Europe, Brazil and Australia and are identical to the workshops offered in the United States.
For more information about scheduling a Spit Camp at your university, registering for a Spit Camp or about Salimetrics, please contact Jennifer Jewell 800-790-2258 or jjewell(at)salimetrics(dot)com. Register online at: http://www.salimetrics.com/spit-camp.
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Chris Schwartz
cschwartz@salimetrics.com
814-234-7748
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