Lab-on-a-chip technology
The Lab-on-a-chip technology offers Medimate a platform for the development of many different applications. This technology enables us to create manageable measuring instruments that are suitable for Point of Care applications.
Lab-on-a-Chip literally means that the chip is a lab, where the chip could be made infinitely small, even smaller than a stamp. With this mini laboratory it is possible to sample, separate, concentrate, create chemical reactions, and detect. These same processes that are also executed in large, clinical laboratories, are executed by Medimate on a chip the size of a stamp. All this is made possible by 20 years of research, which used techniques known from the electronics industry, to create small channels in which liquids are transported and can be treated. The advantages this creates are listed in the table below.
| Techniques in laboratories | Medimate techniques | |
| Analysis | > 1 hour (Cito) | < 3 minutes |
| Location | Hospital | Everywhere (including at home) |
| Hardware | Complex | Simple |
| User | High education< | Everyone |
| Indirect costs | High | Low |
| Sample | Tube | 1 drop |
| Maintenance | Necessary | None |
| Improved quality of life for the patient | No | Yes |
Table containing the advantages of the Medimate technique compared to current measuring procedures. The basic principle on which the measurements are executed is Capillary Electrophoresis. This is a well-known technique used to separate charged particles in a solution on macro scale. With the help of the Lab-on-a-Chip technology, Medimate has managed to reduce this to a micro scale.
After the separating process, the particles are measured with conductivity detection. With the conductivity detection, the concentration of different particles in a measurement can be determined.
Medimate has filed for patent on crucial points to protect its platform technology.