In response to worldwide demand for less costly and technically simplified testing methods for infectious diseases, the Company has through its diagnostic division has developed the VScan™ line of rapid test kits for rapid, initial point-of-care screening for: HIV 1 & 2, Hepatitis B and C, Tuberculosis, West Nile virus and Dengue Fever.  

The VScan™ HIV test kit has demonstrated a very high sensitivity using whole blood. The VScan™ rapid test kit incorporates a unique combination of antigens which has the ability to identify all classes of HIV antibodies and is able to detect HIV very early. Other test kits detect the virus at a later (chronic) stage. This makes the VScan™ HIV 1 & 2 rapid test kit the most sensitive test kit available. 

To date, the VScan™ rapid HIV test kit has been approved in countries in South East Asia, South and Central America. As a result, the VScan™ HIV1&2 rapid test kit is now approved for sale at all levels including retail in countries representing approximately 40% of the world population. Please consult the news section for the latest update on approvals etc.

VScan™ rapid test kit for Tuberculosis (TB) is the only TB test kit that measures ONLY ACTIVE TB. There are NO false positives with the VScan™ TB rapid test kits. Previous testing has shown that the VScan™ TB test kit has a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 100%. These results substantially exceed the accuracy of any other existing TB tests.

Existing TB tests routinely produce false positives when a person has previously been vaccinated against TB using some of the vaccines available. This results in further testing that is expensive, stressful to the individual and time consuming. The VScan™ TB test kit is the only known test kit for TB that measures only ACTIVE TB and does not produce false positives.

Recently the diagnostic division has been expanded to now offer test kits for sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) and for the initial detection of cancer. The STD kit tests for Syphilis and the Cancer kit tests for Prostate Cancer. Other innovative kits are under development.

In all of the company's facilities; R&D, Manufacturing and Assembly, Medical Services works to an ISO rating of ISO9001. This relates to manufacturing techniques, product handling and quality control. In addition, all facilities work to North American GMP production standards.

All of these products are based on the immunoassay test principle and are designed for the initial screening of human antibodies to a specific disease in human blood, serum or plasma. In addition, with the HIV test kit, there is also a saliva and urine format kit available. With all test kits, if a positive (or inconclusive) test is produced a secondary, confirmatory test (such as Western Blot or ELISA) is required.

Increasingly whole blood (as opposed to serum or plasma) is the preferred test media for testing because it allows the test to be performed without additional laboratory equipment (centrifuge). This means the kit can be used anywhere!

VScan™ test kits have been thoroughly tested and evaluated in the lab, on volunteers (under Doctor supervision) and by independent sources (including Governments) and have been shown to meet or exceed the existing global standards for both sensitivity and specificity. 

The entire portfolio of VScan™ test kits offers many

	Easy to use (no mixing, no medical or skilled personnel and no other equipment required).
	Highly accurate (to 99.8%).
	Produces immediate, visible results (under 20 minutes).
	Can be safely stored and is stable at room temperature (no refrigeration required).
	Requires no electricity.
	Can be used anywhere (from remote areas to medical clinics to blood banks to in the ‘field’).
	A built-in control mechanism ensures the integrity of the test kit.

 

1.	Take out the test cassette by opening the sealed pouch.
2.	Add 1 drop of sample (blood, serum, or plasma) followed by 8-10 drops of buffer into the sample well.
3.	Read results after 15 minutes. Results are NOT valid after 30 minutes.
	Interpretation of Results
1.	Only one purplish-red line at the control zone indicates a negative result.
2.	Two purplish-red lines, one each at control zone and one at test zone, indicate a positive result.
	Invalid Results
1.	If control line does not appear at the control zone.
2.	If both test and control lines do not appear.
	For a short, animated demonstration of the lead product to test for HIV using a single drop of blood  Click here.

The company is currently in negotiations with major healthcare concerns to supply these tests to the world wide market. A special emphasis has been placed on the developing countries where the need to control the HIV pandemic is the greatest.  

None of these products are available for sale in Canada or the United States (U.S. approval was initiated in September '03).