Adhesive Research, Inc.’s Dissolvable Film Technology Offers New Capabilities for In-Vitro Diagnostic Devices

Adhesives Research, Inc. offers proven dissolvable film technology to support new applications and advancements in the design of in-vitro diagnostic medical devices. Dissolvable film technology, first introduced to the consumer product market in 2001 in the form of breath strips and later to the pharmaceutical industry as a new means for drug dosing, now offers viable product design alternatives and manufacturing benefits to IVD manufacturers

Among the key benefits of the technology to diagnostic device manufacturers – formulation flexibility, manufacturing efficiencies and increased choice of device design.

The formulation of dissolvable films from aqueous polymer matrices across a wide molecular weight (Mw) range provides the flexibility to achieve various physical properties that can be tailored to the IVD manufacturer’s specific design needs. Characteristics such as thickness, dissolution rate, surface characteristics (texture) and mechanical properties (film strength) can be customized, making the technology well-suited to meet various design challenges of today’s IVD devices.

Other formulation benefits include controlled release of reagents and precise dosing which results in increased consistency and more accurate test results. Because the films are produced in a continuous web format, the technology can offer significant manufacturing benefits as well.

Unlike conventional methods where spraying or coating test strips with reagents can result in costly losses, dissolvable films enable homogenous loading of the reagent within the film, resulting in a dry, stable format, which means less waste and increased efficiencies throughout the process. The intrinsic benefit of dissolvable film technology to the device manufacturer is the ability to completely customize the polymeric base to develop a system uniquely configured for each application in devices such as lateral flow, microfluidics and microplates.

Dissolution rates may be tailored to allow for the controlled release (seconds to minutes) of reagents. Dissolvable films may also be used to create isolation barriers to separate components or reagents within a device for a timed reaction. The films may be used in devices requiring multiple layers containing one or more reagent, which increases the possibility of expanding this technology into lateral and vertical flow applications.