Wayne Matthews, sales manager at Tecman Speciality Materials, comments on the UK diagnostics supply chain and designing diagnostics with ease of supply in mind.
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The UK diagnostic sector was put under the spotlight during the pandemic, and while the public attention given to PCR and lateral flow testing kits may have diminished, the sector is undergoing a quiet resurgence.
The 2021 Life Sciences Vision called for the development of new diagnostics to be accelerated following the hugely impactful role the sector played in COVID-19 testing. The pandemic focus has shifted but the sector continues to innovate, with diagnostic manufacturers working with specialists like Tecman to source and develop specific components for a huge variety of diagnostic tools that play a role in everything from viral testing kits to hygiene and sterilisation testing strips.
The diagnostics supply chain is strong, integrated and is growing because of an influx of international interest in the capabilities of those supporting this supply chain. But it is also complex, with lots of specialist manufacturers playing small but significant roles within it whether that be developing assays, adhesive components or plastics.
We produce a range of components for the life science and medical sector from diagnostic strips and microfluidics sealing tape, to self-adhesive disposable surgical items and body fluid absorption pads. In most cases these are supplied white label to our customers, who integrate them into existing product lines or launch new ones.
Developing components and solutions for the life science sector requires sector knowledge and the capabilities suitable for manufacturing at scale. Our engineers have expertise to draw on by working with some of the biggest names in healthcare, but crucially they also work on cross-sector projects that allow them to draw on diverse experience and bring new ideas into the mix.
Working with customers to develop these components begins with a fairly standard scoping of project requirements and some preliminary testing of existing solutions to determine how we as an engineering partner can best support with NPD, manufacturing and technical support.
Previous work includes a focus on sterilisation diagnostics, developing hydrogen peroxide testing strips, which we have been supplying for almost 10 years. These are vital in contamination management and infection control, particularly in a secondary care setting.
Adding value to the diagnostic component manufacturing process can mainly be done through a mix of capabilities and expertise. On the capability front, this can be based on an ability to carry out high volume manufacturing, or it could be based solely on offering a particular manufacturing process. We are fortunate in being able to combine these offerings to service a wide variety of life science businesses.
Our life science customers are drawn to engineering and manufacturing capabilities. This has led us to working with customers to manufacture complex die-cut adhesive components for well and sealing plates that are part of a Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) screening kit. These kits are a medium for crystalising membrane proteins – forming the crystals is usually slow and difficult so these kits are important, especially because of the role the proteins play in cellular interactions.
As we work cross-industry, we can secure a range of innovative materials for use in diagnostic component manufacturing through our international partnerships with the likes of tesa, 3M and Nitto.
The advantage of a growing UK diagnostics sector is that lead times are shorter, logistics and shipping emissions are lower and follow-on technical and customer support is much stronger than is the case in more fragmented supply chains.
There is innovation happening across the life sciences sector, but it is in the diagnostics space that some of the most exciting product developments are taking place.
UK diagnostics has become so successful because manufacturers have innovated and delivered outstanding products. I’m proud of the role Tecman has played, and continues to play, in supporting them to do so.
