Freudenberg Medical has unveiled an inexpensive, portable mini-lab to carry out rapid health checks for AIDS in remote areas globally.

The test analysis indicates not only whether the AIDS virus is present in the blood, but also provides information on how far the immunodeficiency has progressed. So even with limited resources, aid organisations can decide whether immediate treatment is necessary. Around 8 million units of the mini-lab are produced annually.

With the help of a lab-on-a-chip, medically trained personnel can go from village to village in affected areas performing rapid tests. They do this by taking a blood sample from the fingertip and feeding it into the unit for analysis. The patient’s blood flows through a hose specially developed by Freudenberg Medical.

According to UN estimates, approximately 34 million people worldwide have the AIDS virus HIV in their blood. The majority of them live in rural areas of Africa and Asia, cut off from medical care.

“As with all our products, we manufacture this hose from a special silicone. This material meets medical standards and has extensive approvals for use in patient care,” explained Dr. Dieter Pfeifle, responsible for in-vitro-diagnostic applications at Freudenberg Medical Europe.

“We set our own standards for the inner and outer diameters of the tubes, which go beyond what is usual in the market. In this specific case, we also need to adhere to an exact hose length,” he added.

To ensure optimal product quality, Freudenberg Medical has developed an automated inspection process. “Our strength lies in individually meeting customer requirements for particularly sensitive applications,” said Pfeifle.

The €116 million Freudenberg Medical is a leading global manufacturer of components for medical devices, complex catheter systems for minimally-invasive surgery and total solutions for the biotech, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. It also manufactures and markets the HelixMark brand of platinum-cured silicone tubing and fluid handling components for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Its medical device division, InHealth Technologies develops and manufactures Blom-Singer which are voice restoration products distributed worldwide.