News and Events

DCN will be at MEDICA 2012

Please come visit us at Medica, November 14-17th 2012. We will be in Hall 2-Stand C47, co-exhibiting with BioDot Inc. For appointments please contact Alison Knoth at aknoth@dcndx.com or +1-858-336-7599. We look forward to seeing you in Dusseldorf!

Upcoming Events-October 2012

October 2012…

Lateral Flow Assay:

From Concept to Manufacture

A Practical Conference and Workshop exploring the Pathway from Concept to Production

10th and 11th October 2012

Location: GE Healthcare Europe

GmbHOskar-Schlemmer-Str.11 - 80807 München, Germany

Registration: 10th Oct, from 0900 hrs

Fee: €600 Course includes:

20 presentations with 4 practical sessions
Course Workbook and Practical Materials for Production of Working Test
Conference dinner on 10th October
Lunches and refreshments

For more information, please contact: Alison Knoth – aknoth@dcndx.com or +1-858-336-7599

Upcoming Events August 2012

DCN-Corporate Sponsor & Speaker at the

NEXT GENERATION Dx SUMMIT

Washington DC August 19-23, 2012

Corporate Sponsor Presentation:

Differentiating Your Lateral Flow Assay; High Sensitivity, Fluorescent Reader Based Assays with Enhanced Functionality – Dr. Brendan O’Farrell, President-DCN: will present this short course where attendees will learn about the key features of quantitative, sensitive, fluorescent lateral flow assays and be introduced to a novel method for the generations of highly functional signals in lateral flow; including parallel lines, arrays, letters, numbers or symbols; yielding intuitive, easily interpreted signals, simplified multiplexing and improved quantification.

Time and Date: Tuesday, August 21st, 2012 at 12:30pm

Morning Short Course:

Differentiating Lateral Flow Products from the Competition Based on Performance and Design – Dr. Brendan O’Farrell, President DCN & John Zeis, President Symbient Product Development: The purpose of this workshop is to outline the principles of advanced performance in lateral flow technology through the discussion of the key elements of design, development, manufacturing and supporting technology that allow for the use of this assay format in today’s highly demanding applications.

Time and Date: Monday, August 20th, 2012 9am-12pm

Upcoming Events July 2012

2012 AACC Clinical Lab Expo – Los Angeles, CA

Booth and Meetings

DCN will be exhibiting at the AACC Clinical Lab Expo 2012 in Los Angeles, CA, July 16-19th 2012. Please visit us at booth #538. If you would like to set up a meeting time, please contact Alison Knoth at aknoth@dcndx.com or at 858-336-7599.

Industry Workshop

DCN will be presenting an Industry Workshop where DCN and BioDot will introduce attendees to the principles of development and manufacturing of quantitative, multiplexed, highly sensitive lateral flow systems. A novel manufacturing process for the generation of non-traditional signal features in lateral flow will also be presented. These features, including numbers, letters, symbols and lines in the direction of flow, will allow for the development of results that are intuitive, easily interpreted and facilitate improved multiplexing and quantification.

Workshop Title: Stepping Over the Line: A Novel Approach to Developing Alpha-Numeric Results in Lateral Flow Products to Allow for Ease of Use, Quantification and Multiplexing

Location: Westin Bonaventure Hotel-Los Angeles, Avalon Room

Time and Date: July 17th, 2012 at 7am. Breakfast will be provided.

Upcoming Events, April and May 2012

April 2012

BioDot workshop: “From R&D to Quantitative IVDs”
Date: April 24-26
Location: Irvine Hyatt Regency, Irvine, CA.
Click for details

DCN is a key sponsor of this event, and will be presenting a seminar on Differentiating Your Rapid Assay from the Competition through performance and added functionality.

SPIE Conference on Defense Security and Sensing
Date: April 23-27
Location: Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
Click for details

Dr Brendan O’Farrell will be chairing a session and presenting a talk on the Development of Next Generation Rapid Diagnostic Assays. Dr Hans Boehringer will be presenting the results to date of the Development of a Rapid Assay for Determination of Hydrogen Cyanide Poisoning, a program which DCN is currently performing under the auspices of an SBIR grant.

CHI conference on Future Diagnostics
Date: April 16-17
Location: UC Irvine Student Center, Irvine CA
Click for details

DCN will be presenting a poster on the Generation of High Sensitivity, Quantitative, Multiplexed Lateral Flow Assay Systems.

Oak Ridge Conference
Date: April 19-20
Location: The Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, CA
Click for details

DCN will be attending and available for meetings. Please contact info@dcndx.com to arrange a meeting.

May 2012
BioDot Workshop: Lateral Flow Assays from Concept to Manufacture
Date: May 14-16
Location: Food and Environmental Research Agency, York, UK
Click for details

DCN is a key sponsor of this event, and will be presenting a seminar on Differentiating Your Rapid Assay from the Competition through performance and added functionality.

To Arrange Meetings: Please contact bofarrell@dcndx.com to arrange an appointment or request more information on DCN’s capabilities in the development of visual or fluorescent lateral flow immunoassays, any other aspect of the the SymBiosys program, or how we can assist you in designing, developing and manufacturing complete assay systems.

New Market Report Published: Point of Care Diagnostics for Emerging Infectious Disease Threats (Market Analysis and Technical Considerations)

This report, just published, written by DCN’s Brendan O’Farrell, and Kalorama’s Shara Rosen is a unique approach to the analysis of the evolving market in rapid diagnostics for emerging infectious diseases, coupling an in-depth analysis of market opportunities with an evaluation of the technologies available and in development to address the needs of this market.

The World Health Organization has identified a group of diseases that are the world’s most pressing health problems. This represents an opportunity for test manufacturers, particularly in POC testing. Because of their ability to deliver fast results at the point of care, rapid testing is a focus area of healthcare providers and payors in infectious disease prevention.

This report examines this POC segment with a focus on new threats for which there are markets in the developing world and in developed countries.

Tests can only be marketed if they can be manufactured and if they can function in the healthcare environment. Thus, this report also discusses the technical choices, possibilities and limitations to today’s POC tests especially when they are used in the developing world. Reagent issues, testing on strips, instrumented and non-instrumented tests are coved in this report. These factors will impact what tests will reach the market and how they will function.

See more details, and purchase the report online from Kalorama’s website, here: http://www.kaloramainformation.com/Point-Care-Diagnostics-6429399/

November 2010 Available Development Scientist Positions

DCN is inviting applications for several new scientist positions as part of our continuing expansion and addition of new capabilities for our development clients. Click here for information on the available positions.

November 2010 Medica

DCN will be exhibiting at Medica 2010, November 17-21, at the Messe in Dusseldorf. Please contact Brendan O’Farrell at bofarrell@dcndx.com to make an appointment to discuss your rapid assay development program, education course, material or reagent requirements or consulting needs. Please come by the BioDot booth in Hall 2, where we will be exhibiting during the show.

October 2010 Meeting #3: The Latex Course

DCN will be presenting at the Bangs Latex Course “Designing Microsphere-Based Tests and Assays” to be held at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, from October 3 – 5, 2010.

DCN will be exhibiting and speaking on our expanding capabilities in the optimization and manufacturing of conjugates to fluorescent, visual and paramagnetic latex particles for use in diagnostic assays and prep scale separations. To set up an appointment to discuss your application, please contact Dr Roy Chung at rchung@dcndx.com or 760-804-3886.

For more details, or to register for the course, please click here

October 2010 Meeting #2: Inovatech Expo, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Inovatech Expo, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. October 6-8, 2010

DCN will be exhibiting and presenting its capabilities at the Inovatech expo in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. To arrange an appointment to discuss collaboration or development of rapid diagnostic products at the meeting, please contact Dr Brendan O’Farrell at bofarrell@dcndx.com or by telephone at 949-872-8589.

For more details on the Expo, click here

October 2010 Meeting #1: BioDot San Francisco Workshop

A Practical, hands-on workshop on “Point of Care and Emerging Diagnostics” in San Francisco, October 11th – 13th 2010.

DCN is proudly co-sponsoring this BioDot Workshop and will be presenting a mini-seminar in association with Symbient Product Development, on the topic of:

Combining biology and engineering in the development of next generation rapid assay systems

Part 1: Critical considerations in the design and development of high sensitivity, quantitative lateral flow assay systems
- Brendan O’Farrell, PhD. Founding partner and CSO. Diagnostic Consulting Network

Part 2: The design and development of rapid assay devices with advanced functionality
- John Zeis. Founder and Chief Engineer. Symbient Product development

Part 3: Showcase: Development of a novel multiplexed, quantitative reader based point of care assay platform
- John Zeis and Brendan O’Farrell

DCN will also be hosting a practical demonstration of manufacturing methods for fluorescent, reader based assays, where workshop attendees will get hands-on experience with the equipment and processes for producing and reading fluorescent lateral flow assays.

Location: Marriott San Francisco Airport Hotel, San Francisco, CA.

Dates: October 11 – 13, 2010

For the detailed agenda click here

For Registration Information: www.biodot.com

DCN’s 2010 AACC Industry Workshop Slides Available Here

DCN and Symbient Product Development hosted a very successful Industry workshop at the AACC in Anaheim this year. Over 60 delegates attended the early morning session, which was on the topic of “Practical Development of High Sensitivity Fluorescent Rapid Assay Systems”. DCN and SPD demonstrated the key factors in designing and developing these types of products, and the critical importance of parallel development of novel devices and the tests that will operate within them. In the showcase section of the program, two development programs were highlighted, demonstrating the sensitive, quantitative and clinically relevant performance levels that can be developed in reader based lateral flow assays coupled with innovative device design. The slides from the workshop can be downloaded here.

Click the link below to download the slide presentation as a pdf:

DCN_Symbient AACC Workshop on Reader Based Rapid Assay Development [Compatibility Mode]

DCN at the AACC 2010 in Anaheim

Booth and Meetings

DCN will be exhibiting at the AACC 2010 in Anaheim, CA, July 27-29th 2010. Please visit us at booth 1016. If you would like to set up a meeting time, please contact Dr Brendan OFarrell at bofarrell@dcndx.com or at 760-804-3886.

Industry Workshop

DCN will be presenting an Industry Workshop in association with Symbient Product Development, where we will be showcasing our most recent developments in the areas of quantitative, high sensitivity rapid assay formats, particularly focused on fluorescent, reader based applications. Also on the agenda will be examples of sample handling and device design for better performance in POC systems.

Workshop Title: Practical Development of Quantitative, High Sensitivity Fluorescent Rapid Assay Systems

Location: Anaheim Marriott Hotel

Time and Date: July 28th, 2010 at 7am. Breakfast will be provided.

workshop postcard_v2_pg1highresjul

workshop postcard_v2_pg2highresjul

Dr Hans Boehringer joins DCN as VP of Technology Development

DCN is pleased to welcome on board Dr Hans Boehringer in the position of Vice President of Technology Development. Hans most recently held the position of R&D Director at Genzyme Diagnostics in San Diego, preceded by Senior Scientist positions at Quidel and Pacific Biotech. Hans brings considerable experience in project management and in the development, transfer and commercialization of rapid diagnostics to DCN’s team, adding to the already considerable depth of experience on board. He will be working closely with Dr Roy Chung, our Vice President of R&D, in implementing specialized platform development projects.

DCN IS MOVING

DCN is moving to its new 8000 square foot facility on 9 November 2009. The address is 6354 Corte del Abeto,Suite B, Carlsbad, CA 92011. Other contact information will remain the same. (Telephone +1-760-804-3886. Fax +1-760-804-3866.) Watch for more details on the new facility and for the upcoming Open House to celebrate the move.

LATERAL FLOW WORKSHOP

DCN will be presenting and exhibiting at BioDot’s workshop on “Materials and Methods to Develop and Produce Quantitative Rapid Tests,” 9 - 11 November 2009. The workshop will be held in San Francisco, CA. This 2½ day course focuses on innovative technologies for quantitative rapid tests used in diagnostics. Dr Brendan O’Farrell will be presenting on a variety of topics including Development and Manufacture of Quantitative, Highly Sensitive Lateral Flow Assays based on fluorescent labels. Please enquire at info@dcndx.com for details.

MEDICA 2009

DCN will be exhibiting at MEDICA 2009 in Duesseldorf, Germany, 18-21 November. DCN will be exhibiting in association with Biodot, Ltd in Hall 2 and will be presenting our range of products and services, including the SymBioSys^TM assay development, device design and reader integration program for rapid diagnostics. Please contact Dr Brendan O’Farrell at bofarrell@dcndx.com to arrange a meeting to discuss your application.

NEW WEBSITE

Please check out our freshly relaunched website at www.dcndx.com. The site has a new look and feel, and has additional content relative to our newly expanded Consulting Services, Affiliates’ Network and SymBioSys^TM assay development, cassette design and reader integration program. Please let us know your impressions of the new site at info@dcndx.com.

DCN CONTINUES TO EXPAND

DCN is in the process of expanding our development teams, with the addition of several Research Scientist and Research Associate positions. DCN also offers ongoing opportunities for consultants in diagnostic industry-related fields. Please see dcndx.com/services/consulting for details.

AACC 2009: Announcing the SymBioSys™ Program for complete diagnostic assay system development

DCN will be exhibiting at the AACC in Chicago, July 21-23, 2009 where we will be proudly unveiling our SymBioSys™ program for developers of diagnostic products. SymBioSys™ is a collaboration between DCN and Symbient Product Development, our long-standing partner in product development for our rapid diagnostic product clients. This program is designed to provide a modular menu of services related to the science and engineering of rapid assay development and manufacturing. It combines the development, rapid prototyping and manufacturing expertise of DCN and SPD related to the biology, chemistry and mechanics of rapid assay testing and sample handling devices into a single point of contact for companies developing complex, high performing rapid assay systems. This service provides a complete solution for the OEM development of rapid assay systems that may include novel labels such as fluorescence or magnetic particles, reader development and integration, and the design of multi-functional cassettes and sample handling systems. Whether you are interested in re-formatting your existing assay system or developing from first principles, this service can provide a fast, efficient route to commercializing your assay concepts. This service can be combined with DCN’s other services, including our Education and Training Courses in Lateral Flow and Flow Through Assay Technology, Contract Manufacturing service, or consulting services. Please come by our booth to be introduced to this new program.

Consulting Program Expansion

DCN is also pleased to announce the expansion of its consulting services. With over 20 highly experienced industry professionals available for consultation, DCN can now offer cross-functional consulting teams to rapidly and efficiently address your product development, manufacturing, troubleshooting, regulatory, technology evaluation, due diligence, quality or commercialization needs. All of our consultants have in excess of 10 years of high level industry experience in their respective fields. Whether you need board level advice, a single consultant to address a particular problem or a team assembled to contribute to your company in a cross-disciplinary way on an ongoing basis, DCN can provide the expertise to meet your needs. Please contact us at info@dcndx.com for more details or stop by our booth at the AACC.

New Facility

DCN continues its growth and development with the signing this month of the agreement for our new facility, which will be located in Carlsbad, CA. At over 8000 square feet, with integrated class 10,000 clean room, environmentally controlled (dry) rooms, and extensive laboratory and conference facilities, this building will allow DCN to continue to expand our range of education, product development, manufacturing and system integration programs, as well as the expansion of our custom latex conjugation, colloidal gold and other reagent manufacturing capabilities. Stay tuned for announcement of our moving date in early Autumn 2009.

Lateral Flow Workshop – Amsterdam

Dr Brendan O’Farrell will be presenting at BioDot’s Hands On Workshop on Lateral Flow Technologies in Amsterdam, May 18th-20th 2009. He will be presenting a range of presentations on topics including assay design for manufacturing, validation of point of care assays, and developments leading to high sensitivity and quantification in point of care assays. He will also be hosting elements of the practical hands-on training sessions on lateral flow and flow through technologies. For registration information, see BioDot’s website at www.biodot.com, or contact Trish Morley at Trish.Morley@biodot.com (Tel: +44-01243-572044)

Estapor Conference

Dr Brendan O’Farrell will be presenting at Estapor’s upcoming conference in London on May 6th, 2009, where his topic will be Development of next generation assay performance through the use of Fluorescence in Lateral Flow Technologies. For registration information, please see http://www.merckchimie-communications.fr/estapor/seminar

March 2009

ISO Certification
DCN is pleased to announce that it has received its certification for ISO 9001-2000 through Underwriters Laboratory. This represents a further step in DCN’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality services and products to our clients for assay development, education and training, contract manufacturing and associated products and consulting services.
Continued Expansion

We are pleased to welcome our two newest employees, Danielle Loughran and Margaret Cohan, both of whom bring a wealth of experience in the development and manufacturing of rapid immunoassays. Their addition to our assay development teams adds to DCN’s growing capacity for performing rapid assay development and coupled with the expertise of our VP of R&D Dr Roy Chung and existing development staff, gives DCN the internal capability for handling ever more complex development programs.

Growing Service Catalog
We are pleased to welcome several new members to our Network of Affiliates. Through our core expertise within DCN and through our network partners, DCN can address virtually all elements of point of care assay system development, including:
Assay design and development

Project Management
Plastics/device design (cassettes, sample handing, novel microfluidic chip design)
Contact manufacturing
-Molding
-Packaging
-Reader design and development
-Label design and provision (fluorescent, visual and paramagnetic)
-Dry chemistry assay development
-Novel platform provision
-Manufacturing equipment design and provision

We offer additional services in related areas including:
-Regulatory affairs
-Market evaluation
-Branding
-Intellectual property
-FMEA and Risk Analysis
-Manufacturing process design

Please contact info@dcndx.com to enquire about our services and see our website at www.dcndx.com for more information on our Network.

Upcoming Events
DCN will be presenting at the following events:

March 2009:
IVD Technologies Webcast: Dr Brendan O’Farrell will be presenting in a webcast sponsored by IVD Technologies journal on March 26th, 2009 related to issues and developments in the design and manufacture of high quality point of care immunoassays. His presentation will be on technical challenges typically encountered in the development of point of care immunoassays. For details and to register, see http://www.devicelink.com/ivdt/webcasts/poc.html

BioDot San Diego Workshop on Rapid Assays: Dr Brendan O’Farrell will be presenting at BioDot’s workshop in San Diego, March 31st – April 2nd, where his topic will relate to the use of novel label and reader technologies in overcoming variation and sensitivity issues in point of care technologies. Also on display at this workshop will be DCN’s range of readers for lateral flow and flow through technologies, as well as information on DCN’s broad range of technology development services and our Network of Affiliates. To register, please see www.biodot.com, or contact Barbara McIntosh at Barbara.mcintosh@biodot.com

July 2009
AACC, Chicago. DCN will have a large presence at this year’s AACC, showcasing our expanded Network of Affiliates and our growing capacity for development of complex point of need assay systems.

Appointments at Events
To make an appointment for a meeting at any of these events, please contact Brendan O’Farrell at bofarrell@dcndx.com or by phone at +1-949-872-8589.

Please see www.dcndx.com for more news, events and details of our services and products, and visit our library section for copies of the materials presented by DCN at these events.

DCN receives ISO 9001-2000 Certification

DCN is proud to announce that it has received its ISO9001-2000 certification through Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL). The formalized implementation of our Quality System underscores our commitment to providing the highest quality services and products to all of our customers and is part of our ongoing policy and practice of continuous improvement and growth as a development and manufacturer of the highest quality and performance rapid immunoassays.

Rapid Methods Europe

DCN will be exhibiting at the Rapid Methods Europe (RME) conference in Noordwijkerhout in Holland, January 26-28, 2009. We will have our full range of lateral flow readers, disposables, materials and services on show and will be available for discussion and consultation on your assay development programs. If you would like to set up a time and date for a meeting, please email Dr Brendan O’Farrell at bofarrell@dcndx.com. For information on the conference, please follow this link: http://www.bastiaanse-communication.com/html/rme2009.html

Lateral Flow Immunoassay Textbook

Dr Brendan O’Farrell has contributed two chapters to the latest textbook relating to lateral flow immunoassays. The book , edited by Raphael Wong and Harley Tse is entitled : Lateral Flow Immunoassay and is available from Humana Press (www.springer .com/humana). Dr O’Farrell’s chapters are on the Evolution in Lateral Flow Based Immunoassay Systems and Manufacturing the Next Generation of Highly Sensitive and Reproducible Lateral Flow Immunoassays (co-authored with Dr Tom Tisone from BioDot Inc.). The book contains contributions from a number of well recognized experts in the field of rapid immunoassays and should prove an invaluable addition to the library of all developers and manufacturers of these kinds of tests.

Medica 2008

DCN will be exhibiting at the Medica Trade Fair, November 19-22, in Dusseldorf, Germany. DCN will be sharing a booth with BioDot; Booth number 2B48, hall 2. For information on the event please visit http://www.medica.de
To arrange a meeting with DCN at the show, please email Dr Brendan O’Farrell at bofarrell@dcndx.com or call +1-949-872-8589.

August 2008

DCN’s new website came online on August 1st. The site includes new features including full search capability, market information on a variety of applications, and a library of appropriate publications and presentations for anyone interested in lateral flow technologies, colloidal gold, fluorescent labels and readers.

June 2008

AACC 2008: DCN presented a variety of workshops and talks at the AACC in Washington DC this year. The presentations can be found in our Library section

Industry Workshop: Presented by DCN and ESE: Application of Fluorescence in Next Generation Lateral Flow Assays

Abstract: In this workshop, attendees were introduced to a variety of portable handheld and benchtop fluorescent and visual lateral flow assay readers, and to a variety of custom labels designed specifically for use in high sensitivity lateral flow applications. A variety of clinically relevant assay systems were presented that demonstrate the increase in sensitivity that can be achieved with these custom fluorescent labels, compared to standard visual labels such as colloidal gold.

Whatman / GE Healthcare Workshop and Reception: The New Frontier for Lateral Flow Assays

Abstract: Dr Brendan O’Farrell presented on “Evolution in Rapid Assays” at this special event and reception sponsored by Whatman /GE Healthcare.

OEM Lecture: Development of a novel lateral-flow assay for Bacillus anthracis protective antigen

Abstract: DCN’s Vice President of R&D, Dr Roy Chung, presented data from a highly sensitive assay for Bacillus anthracis that combines novel fluorescent labels with a low cost, field use reader.

Jan 2008

Dr Brendan O’Farrell’s presentation from the Rapid Methods Europe 2008, entitled: “Pushing Lateral flow to the limits: Generating rapid highly sensitive field tests suitable for food testing” is available for download here! (12 Mb)

December 2007

DCN’s Charitable Fund made contributions to 6 charities in 2007. Visit the DCN Charitable Fund page to read more!

October 2007

DCN’s Dr Brendan O’Farrell recently presented at BioDot’s workshop on Next Generation Point of Care Diagnostics in San Diego, CA. His presentation, entitled: “Pushing lateral flow to the limits” can be downloaded here. (12mb)

September 2007

DCN will be exhibiting in association with BioDot at this year’s Medica meeting in Dusseldorf, November 13-17th, 2007. Come see us at Booth B48, Hall 2.