Based on its recent analysis of the methillicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) screening market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes F Cubed, LLC. with the 2014 North America Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership. F Cubed's portable device, the NESDEP IU, can rapidly and cost-effectively screen patients suspected of having contracted MRSA.
This screening tool can help eliminate unwanted side effects, time, anxiety, and the huge costs associated with the treatment of MRSA.
The NESDEP IU can be operated by laymen with minimal staff training The device operates on a biochip that measures 7 millimeters (mm) by 14 mm and comprises nano-scale electrodes and microfluidic structures that contain a mix of carbon nanotubes characterized to hybridize with very specific DNA molecules.
Importantly, the NESDEP IU and its associated screening test are 10 times less expensive than competing medical equipment in the market. The NESDEP IU can screen a MRSA-suspect patient within two hours, thereby accelerating the delivery of an appropriate treatment.
"The device is highly durable and portable, and comes in a durable MIL-SPEC plastic case with wheels. It weighs approximately 35 kg and can fit on a 3-foot table top," said Frost & Sullivan Saju Mathew, Industry Analyst. "In the future, F Cubed plans to integrate several biochips into the system to enable the simultaneous detection of a wider range of pathogens."
Apart from being applied for the rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria in medical diagnostics, F Cubed uses the NESDEP IU in food safety and environmental science applications as well. It is also looking into pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella due to the recent passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011. As the regulatory hurdles in the food safety industry are not as stringent as in the medical diagnostics industry, Frost & Sullivan expects strong traction for F Cubed in this segment.
"F Cubed's technology rests on exclusive licenses obtained from the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana) and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology," noted Saju Mathew. "Through careful, strategic patent planning, F Cubed has isolated critical features and pursued strategies that are most likely to protect the company's value."
Furthermore, to ensure an efficient and healthy relationship with its customers, initially, F Cubed will only serve those regions where service personnel are only a day's drive away from the customer's location. The low requirements for device functioning and maintenance are allowing F Cubed to consider penetrating countries with inadequate resources, infrastructure, or trained medical staff.
The company's technology will truly go a long way in saving lives as well as ensuring safer food and water. For these important technological advances, Frost & Sullivan is proud to present the 2014 North America Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership to F Cubed.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing and leveraging new technologies, which significantly impacts both the functionality and the customer value of the new products and applications. The award lauds the high R&D spent toward innovation, its relevance to the industry and the positive impact on brand perception.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
Source: http://www.frost.com/