Bioquochem – Additive manufacturing for improved measurements in biomedical devices
The project ‘Additive manufacturing for the improvement of biomedical devices’ aims to solve a problem of usability and reliability of a device for measuring antioxidant capacity manufactured by the company Bioquochem.
In collaboration with Idonial Centro Tecnológico, one of the ten partners of Asturias Digital Innovation Hub (AsDIH), this biotech company applies additive manufacturing to improve the behaviour of the device.
In this video, María Díaz, the company’s R&D manager, summarises the keys to a project that is producing excellent results.
What is the problem to be solved or improved?
Bioquochem markets an electrochemical device for measuring antioxidant capacity in samples of interest in different sectors. This sensor is a device similar to a glucometer that consists of measuring equipment and disposable test strips on which the sample to be analysed must be deposited.
The deposition of the sample must be manual, unlike the glucometer, where the sample is placed at one end of the glucose strip and, through a capillary channel, is carried to the detection zone.
In the case of the Bioquochem device, it is the customers who have to place the sample in a certain area of the strip. This area must also be 100% covered so that it does not give erroneous signals, and must also be confined in that area to prevent the sample from reaching the electrical contacts and damaging the equipment.
When working with aqueous samples of a given density, this is simple: place the sample in the measurement area and confine it. But when the samples are complex, incorporate organic solvents or are matrices such as oils or fats, a certain amount of skill is required.
The electrochemical device works and handles viscous and dense fluids well, but customers have recurring problems when using it because the measurement area is not completely covered or because the sample spreads, compromising accuracy and affecting the electronics.
What digital technology addresses the issue?
The solution to such issues is the incorporation of microfluidic structures on the surface of the strip. The technologies that are normally used, such as those incorporated in glucose strips, are not an option for Bioquochem because they are too expensive for mass production and their sales volume does not allow them to access these technologies.
When the company was beginning to transfer this technology to manual manufacturing, cutting the structures and depositing them on the strip, Idonial Technology Centre presented the advantages of the PADIH Programme and suggested that a possible solution to the issue could be the incorporation of additive manufacturing technology.
Thus, the project proposes to design, print and incorporate into the device a ring containing the sample created by additive manufacturing.
The ring is placed around the detection zone so that the samples are confined.
At a more advanced stage of the project, the incorporation of microfluidic structures similar to glucose strips is envisaged so that samples can be placed on the end and guided to the detection zone.
What are the results, and what is the impact?
Although these solutions seem simple, they represent a critical challenge for Bioquochem because the company urgently needs to solve the current problem of how to handle liquids of different properties.
It would also be a very significant step towards improving its products because, unlike other existing solutions, additive manufacturing is a technology that it could implement in its manufacturing process. It would also allow the company to improve its measuring equipment quickly and at a much lower cost than alternative technologies, which would have an immediate impact.
In addition, the incorporation of innovative technologies would give added value to its products, improve the versatility of the device, be transferable to other products marketed by the company and improve customer satisfaction. This type of support is critical for companies like Bioquochem.
About Bioquochem
Bioquochem is a Spanish biotech company with a high entrepreneurial and innovative component that designs, develops and manufactures kits and devices for the rapid and simple quantification of REDOX parameters or biomarkers. It works mainly in the field of biomedicine, but also in the agri-food and cosmetics industries. The company is based in the Health Sciences building in Oviedo.
Its staff, composed of highly qualified and trained professionals (chemists, biotechnologists, and biologists) with industrial and postdoctoral experience, provides the innovative thinking, R&D&I leadership, commitment, and passion needed to make high levels of research and development a reality.
The BQC brand includes a wide range of kits, which is continuously growing thanks to the active work of its R&D department.
