Nasosorption™ FX·i
Nasosorption™ FX·i is a nasal sampling device which uses a synthetic absorptive matrix (SAM™) swab to gently absorb mucosal lining fluid from the mucosa within the nose.
Our product is designed for sampling with minimal patient discomfort.
SAM™ material is developed for wicking and absorption to achieve quick, comfortable nasal sampling, with minimal binding of proteins and mediators for good sample recovery. Nasosorption™ FX·i is designed to collect a mucosal lining fluid sample from the inferior nasal turbinate.
The sampling technique does not require a local anaesthetic and is applicable to many infectious and inflammatory disorders. Successful nasal pilot studies have been performed in adults with hay fever, as well as nasal sampling in babies and in young children.
Our unique products are the result of years of clinical feedback, delivering a product which is aimed to reduce patient discomfort and designed to be simple to use.
SAM™ is a soft, absorbent, fibrous material that can be inserted into a nostril. Nasosorption™ FX·i is comfortable to use and can obtain mucosal lining fluid (MLF) at frequent intervals over extended periods, making it suitable for time-dependent studies.
Targeted Therapy
Taking the right sample enables molecular events to be measured in mucous membranes. Since patients with various inflammatory diseases such as hay fever, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease may have many differing individual patterns of inflammation, this enables the right highly specific treatment to be given to the right patient.
Many diseases of the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract cause inflammation, and existing methods of sampling have significant drawbacks. Development of the Mucosal Diagnostics product range has been driven by an urgent need for new methods of taking samples.
Maintaining patient comfort during sampling is one of our key objectives and we strive to overcome patient discomfort experienced during other common sampling procedures.
The Mucosal Diagnostics™ range of products are manufactured by Hunt Developments (UK) Limited, who have over 34 years of experience in the production of medical devices and healthcare products.
The Imperial Clinical Respiratory Research Unit (ICRRU) at St Mary’s Hospital works closely with clinicians and Imperial College London to develop new methods of sampling from the airways, identification of biomarkers, and testing of new therapies and vaccines for respiratory diseases
Our state of the art production facilities meet the requirements of ISO 14644 and are electronically monitored 24 hours a day.
Mucosal Sampling
Mucous membranes comprise the moist epithelial surfaces found in the nose and airways, the mouth and gastrointestinal tract, the urogenital tract, the eyes and ears. Measurement of markers and mediators in the mucosal lining fluid has widespread applications.
Mucosal lining fluid (MLF) reflects the health of the underlying cells in the mucous membrane.
In the respiratory system, sampling and analysis of the MLF may be relevant to infections (colds, influenza, bacterial pneumonia, TB), to allergy and asthma, to cigarette-induced lung disease (COPD), to malignancies and to cystic fibrosis.
Using MLF to identify molecular signatures of respiratory disease can achieve fundamental insights into the mechanism of diseases. This refines the diagnosis, stratification and monitoring of a variety of airway diseases in patients of all ages. In particular, biomarkers can be discovered to help assess the effects of therapies and identify potential targets for novel treatments.
About Mucosal Diagnostics
The Mucosal Diagnostics product range of sampling devices is developed for the collection of mucosal lining fluid, to aid in the diagnosis of infectious and inflammatory disorders.
We aim to develop products which minimise patient discomfort and are easy to use by clinicians and healthcare professionals.
Through a collaboration between Hunt Developments and Imperial College, our team of clinicians and engineers are dedicated to improving the sampling process and the patient experience.