Millipore Corporation and Oxford Immunotec Ltd., a UK-based T cell diagnostics company have entered into a co-development agreement for a specially designed microtitre plate. The plate, to be used in clinical diagnostics kits, utilises Oxford Immunotec's proprietary T-SPOT technology.

This is the first 8-well strip-based plate customised for use in Enzyme-Linked Immunospot (ELISPOT) methodology. Compared to the typical 96-well plates, it is more economical for users to select the number of wells they require and reduce waste.

Currently, the plates are under production. Under the terms of the agreement, Oxford Immunotec has exclusive rights to use the plates for in vitro diagnostics with its T-SPOT assay kits.

"Oxford Immunotec will incorporate the plate into a second generation of its T-SPOT.TB test kit, a revolutionary new test for tuberculosis. It is set to replace the 100-year old skin test currently used to diagnose this resurgent disease. Incorporating the new plate will provide greater flexibility and improved performance, while lowering the cost of administering the test," informed Dr. Peter Wrighton-Smith, CEO of Oxford Immunotec.

Oxford Immunotec develops and sells clinical diagnostic products based on its patented T SPOT technology. T SPOT is a simple method of studying a person's cellular immune response to infection and can be applied to diagnose and monitor any major disease driven by a T-cell response.

T-SPOT.TB is an in vitro T-cell activation assay used for diagnosing TB infection and the first product from Oxford Immunotec using the T-SPOT technology. It is approved for sale in Europe and is designed to replace the 115 year old tuberculin skin test.