News: Press Releases

PointCare Releases New Generation of Quality Controls

December 03, 2008

First Heat Stable Controls Designed for Decentralized HIV/AIDS Monitoring

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – PointCare Technologies, pioneer inventor of a portable diagnostic system that enables effective HIV/AIDS monitoring for millions of people in remote areas of developing countries, has increased that technology’s effectiveness with the development of external quality controls that do not require cold chain or refrigeration. The controls called "Daily Check," are stable for at least six months under the demanding conditions found in many low-resource settings of the developing world.

"We can, essentially, move the HIV/AIDS monitoring diagnostics out of the laboratories of the cities into the clinics of the rural areas. As anyone who has worked with technology and logistics in developing countries knows, it is one thing to get the equipment out there, but another to keep it operational and up to standard. The new controls provide a simple and inexpensive way of doing that," said Petra Krauledat, CEO of PointCare Technologies.

Speaking at the corporate head office near Boston, Krauledat said that any item requiring cold chain or refrigeration greatly exacerbates the already challenging logistics issues involved in providing health care in developing countries. The new heat stable controls provide the last piece of the puzzle for all supplies needed for the PointCare NOW system to operate without cold chain or refrigeration.

Traditional controls are supplied by third-party vendors, require cold chain and refrigeration, have short shelf lives and must be procured separately from all other supplies. The new "Daily Check" controls are integrated into the complete single-box package of supplies provided by PointCare, at no extra cost and with a six-month shelf life.

The Daily Check controls consist of two individual, temperature-stable control tubes which the operator must run daily, prior to the opening of the clinic, on the PointCare NOW diagnostic system. In less than five minutes, the dual-level control verifies acceptable instrument performance before any patient results are collected.

The results of the "Daily Check" will also be integrated with the satellite modem technology recently announced by PointCare. This technology allows for off-site monitoring of the instrument. At the end of each day, the software on the NOW will collect all data on the operations for that day and upload to the modem. That information will be transmitted via satellite to a server at company headquarters allowing for close monitoring of instrument performance, and prompt remediate action as needed.

At the heart of the system is PointCare NOW, the first portable equipment in the world to be able to do the complete regular monitoring of CD4 cell counts in adults as well as CD4 percent testing, which is critical in treating young children. Such testing, combined with the complete hematology profiling that the NOW system provides, is essential to effectively adjusting not only HIV anti-retroviral therapy, but also holistic healthcare to the needs of each patient.

PointCare Technologies Inc.

PointCare Technologies is one of America’s leading companies in the worldwide effort to treat patients that are current living with HIV/AIDS. This privately held, FDA-registered, ISO-certified medical diagnostics company invents, develops, manufactures and markets medical diagnostic products. PointCare brings diagnostic capabilities to resource-limited urban and rural regions, enabling immediate identification and treatment of infectious diseases by healthcare professionals.

Contacts:

Don Barry, Vice President
508-281-6925 x12
dbarry@pointcare.net