Rapid testing

Most people will be familiar with the home pregnancy test – even if they don’t recognise it as a lateral flow device (LFD).  But that’s what it is.  Quick, simple to use, reliable and inexpensive.  And perhaps most importantly, puts the user in control of the information from the test result.   Forsite’s business focuses on developing LFD tests for use in plant and animal disease diagnosis and detection of food safety hazards.

Our expertise lies in developing on-site tests for use where industry professionals need information to make decisions.  In the early days of LFDs, this type of test gave simple ‘yes/no’ results – a positive result usually indicated by appearance of a second blue line in the test viewing window.  In many situations, such as for detection of animal or plant viruses, a ‘yes/no’ result is sufficient.

But if the user needs to determine levels of a contaminant in relation to a threshold, a ‘yes/no’ answer is not enough.  In these situations, a semi-quantitative, or fully-quantitative test is required to answer the question ‘how much is present?’.  And this is where Forsite excels.  With a portable test ‘reader’ and tests designed to be carried out in the field or factory, Forsite’s tests really do put the decision-making power in the hands of the individual user. 

LFD tests make use of the binding reaction between antibodies and antigens to detect a target molecule.  In recent years, new techniques for antibody production have greatly expanded the range of targets which can be detected with LFD tests.  Disease-causing bacteria and viruses, food allergens, agrochemical residues, animal hormones and environmental contaminants are all within the reach of LFD tests. 

Many businesses could use on-site tests to monitor quality, confirm authenticity, or otherwise add value for their customers.   We hope that what you read about on-site testing in these pages will cause you to think about how it could be of benefit to your business.  We would be delighted to tell you more about the possibilities – a discussion is just an email away.