Products for Calprotectin Extraction

The CALEX® Cap from BÜHLMANN already eased the sample preparation challenges, providing rapid, clean and consistent preparation, offering a simplified workflow solution for faecal calprotectin extraction without the need to decant or further dilute samples.

Now modifications to the blue and white caps at either end of the CALEX device, enable them to be used on laboratory track systems for a truly automated hands off approach to faecal calprotectin testing.

The white cap has been rounded so that once the stool has been sampled the CALEX can fit easily into the racks and pucks of laboratory track systems for front loading or full random access mode. The CALEX is then automatically identified from the barcode and centrifuged. The modification to the blue cap enable automated de-capping after which the CALEX is transported on the track to the appropriate analyser for the calprotectin analysis using the BÜHLMANN fCAL turbo before being moved to the automatic sealer and storage area. Results are then automatically reported on the laboratory LIM system.

Combined with the speed of result and wide assay range (20 – 8000µg/g) of the BÜHLMANN fCAL turbo, the new Track CALEX truly revolutionises the approach to Calprotectin testing.

Although calprotectin testing has significantly increased since the publication of the NICE guidelines in 2013 it was still identified in a report in 2018 from BIVDA and Innovate UK as one of three tests which if implemented fully could save the NHS £6.9 billion over a 5 year period (troponin for suspected heart attack patients, PGF for pre-eclampsia and calprotectin for screening the IBD patients from the IBS). The calprotectin element to this was estimated to be £65 million and this is just the estimated saving from wider screening; the potential financial savings to be gained from monitoring IBD positive patients could be even higher. With the existing increase in testing volume and the potential increases still to come, laboratories are looking at ways to streamline the service. Since the sample extraction, although significantly easier with the CALEX, this is still the rate limiting step for the analysis, this is where efforts are being focused.

With the simple process, ambient storage, post extraction stability and the 95 kPa postal and UN3373 and IATA 650 air freight compliance, the CALEX is suitable for extraction by the patient saving valuable laboratory resource. By loading the stool sample straight into the CALEX, it immediately stabilises the calprotectin within the buffer minimising the variable element of degradation during transit which will provide more consistent result.