Considerations for Clinical Component Design

Wayne Matthews, Sales Manager for Tecman Specialty Materials, comments on the UK diagnostics supply chain and how diagnostics are designed with ease of supply in mind.

The UK diagnostic sector was thrust into the spotlight during the pandemic, and while PCR and lateral flow testing kits may have lost public attention, the sector is undergoing a quiet resurgence.

The 2021 Life Sciences Vision calls for expediting the development of new diagnostics following the hugely influential role played by the sector in COVID-19 testing. The focus of the pandemic has shifted, but the sector continues to innovate, with diagnostic manufacturers working with experts such as TeckMan to develop specific components for a huge variety of diagnostic equipment, ranging from viral testing kits to hygiene and sanitation products. Play a role in everything from sterilization to test strips.

The diagnostics supply chain is robust, integrated and growing due to an influx of international interest in the capabilities of those supporting this supply chain. But it is also complex, with many specialist manufacturers playing small but important roles within it, whether testing, adhesives, components or developing plastics.

We produce a wide range of components for the life sciences and medical fields, from diagnostic strips and microfluidics sealing tapes to self-adhesive disposable surgical items and body fluid absorption pads. In most cases these are supplied white label to our customers, who integrate them into existing product lines or launch new ones.

Developing components and solutions for the life sciences sector requires domain knowledge and the appropriate capabilities for large-scale manufacturing. Our engineers have the expertise to work with some of the biggest names in healthcare, but importantly they also work on cross-sector projects that allow them to gain diverse experience and bring fresh ideas into the mix .

Working with customers to develop these components begins with a fairly standard scope of project requirements and some initial testing of existing solutions to determine whether we as an engineering partner will provide NPD, manufacturing and technical support How can we best support you with

Past work focused on sterilization diagnostics included developing hydrogen peroxide test strips, which we’ve been supplying for nearly 10 years. These are important in contamination management and infection control, particularly in secondary care settings.

Value addition in the clinical component manufacturing process can be done primarily through a mix of capabilities and expertise. On the capability front, this may be based on the ability to manufacture high volumes, or it may be based only on offering a specialized manufacturing process. We are fortunate to be able to combine these offerings to serve a wide variety of life science businesses.

Our life science customer ready engineering and manufacturing capabilities. This has led us to work with customers to manufacture complex die-cut adhesive components for the well and sealing plates that are part of Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) Screening Kits. These kits are a means of crystallizing membrane proteins – crystal formation is usually slow and difficult so these kits are important, especially because proteins play a role in cellular interactions.

As we operate cross-industry, we can secure a range of innovative materials for use in clinical component manufacturing through our international partnerships with the likes of Tesa, 3M and Nitto.

The advantage of the growing UK diagnostics sector is that lead times are short, logistics and shipping emissions are low and follow-up technical and customer support is much stronger than in more fragmented supply chains.

Innovation is happening in the life sciences sector, but it is in the diagnostics space that some of the most exciting product developments are taking place.

UK Diagnostics has become so successful because manufacturers innovate and deliver excellent products. I’m proud of the role TechMan has played and continue to play in supporting them to do so.