A Cartridge-ready Sample Prep Solution for Assay and Diagnostic Development

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Redbud Labs (“Redbud”) announced today an expansion to its product line with the introduction of the STR (“sorter”) microfluidic chip. STR streamlines sample prep in cartridge-based assays, enabling superior performance in applications across the life sciences industry. It is the first component designed specifically to enable sample prep for point-of-care diagnostic tests. Unlike existing sample prep methods, STR is easy to use at any stage of assay development, from biomarker discovery, through product development, and into volume manufacturing.

Depiction of how the Redbud STR microfluidic chip is used in biomarker discovery or assay development applications on benchtop with pipette.
Redbud STR (“sorter”) 4-channel microfluidic chip, ideal for isolating and purifying targets from complex biological samples such as whole blood.
The Redbud STR microfluidic chip employed in a perfusion experiment on the bench. Redbud STR microfluidic chip integrated into a diagnostic cartridge that incorporates a tube of whole blood for processing and target recovery.

STR is a solid-phase affinity sorter ideally suited to use in microfluidic cartridges. The new product family joins MXR (“mixer”), to fill out Redbud’s offering of cartridge-ready microfluidic components. As with MXR, STR is based on the company’s proprietary Redbud Post technology—a film of flexible, magnetic micropillars. The STR product line will include two standard formats, a single-channel linear-shaped and four-channel sinusoidal-shaped model. A wide range of made-to-order chips are also immediately available, thanks to Redbud’s rapid customization capabilities.

“Our industry demands ever improving diagnostic performance despite constant pressure to decrease cost and complexity. Our products simultaneously address both of these needs,” said Richard Spero, co-founder and CEO of Redbud. “As any system developer knows, changing out subsystems mid-development is a major risk. We are obsessed with making our products ‘cartridge-ready.’ That means developers can use our chips to get an assay working at the bench, then use that exact chip in their disposable cartridge designs. With STR, we’re bringing this ‘cartridge-ready’ philosophy to the most vexing part of assay development: sample prep.”

STR enables immuno-capture of analytes from complex samples such as whole blood. It supports sample volumes from microliters to milliliters and target sizes from nanometers to microns. “We designed STR with an easy-to-customize avidin surface chemistry. This flexibility makes STR ideal for a wide range of applications, including molecular testing, immunoassays, sequencing, and cell analysis. We work side-by-side with some of the world’s best product teams, at all stages of development, to deliver great technology that raises the bar for their system performance,” commented Dr. Jay Fisher, Vice President of R&D.

ABOUT REDBUD

Redbud Labs, headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, manufacturers breakthrough components for life science industry, intended to solve the industry’s ubiquitous microscale fluidic challenges. Redbud technologies have broad application across a variety of segments including: basic research, drug discovery and development, bioprocess and biomanufacturing, diagnostics, sequencing and applied markets. Industry partners seek Redbud’s proprietary microchip technology, component design expertise and deep scientific know-how to advance their own next generation products.

Kathryn Lawrence
VP Business Development
Redbud Labs
+1 919-537-9753 x97
lawrence@redbudlabs.com