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19.06.2002

Aio! is a new Finnish diagnostic method for rapidly diagnosing an acute myocardial infarct when a patient with chest pains arrives at the hospital or consults a doctor.

The diagnostic system Aio! has been developed by Innotrac Diagnostics Oy with the goal of rapidly and accurately identifying in a patient-friendly way the markers secreted into the blood in connection with a myocardial infract. On the basis of the test result, the patient suffering from a myocardial infract can immediately be directed to receive the right kind of treatment.

"The key benefits of Aio! are its rapidity, reliability and convenience. We have developed dry chemistry to identify the compounds that indicate the disease. The test can be taken from whole blood, plasma or serum. The test results obtained through this rapid method of testing are as reliable as those obtained through central laboratory analyses. The disease can thus be diagnosed and its advancement can be monitored while electrocardiogram analysis is performed. If no markers indicating a myocardial infarct are found, the doctor can start to look for other reasons for the symptoms without delay," Managing Director Antti Iitiä of Innotrac Diagnostics Oy states.

The letter combination Aio refers to the words All in one. The method is based on small reaction wells, in which all the substances that are needed to identify and measure from a blood sample the compounds used in diagnosing the disease have been placed in advance.

The first application of the system, a test panel for diagnosing a myocardial infarct, provides tests for measuring troponin I, CK-MB and myoglobin from a blood sample. Troponin is secreted into the blood in measurable amounts only as a result of a heart muscle injury characterising a myocardial infarct. The latter two are secreted into the blood also in connection with other types of muscular injuries, but measuring them increases the certainty of diagnosis when a myocardial infarct is suspected.

Mira Banerjee-Rantala | Source: alphagalileo
Further information: www.tekes.fi/eng/news/uutis_tiedot.asp?id=1894&paluu=default.asp

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