Lateral flow technique

How does lateral flow technique work? Case study: COVID-19
Applications: what can lateral flow be used for?
Measurement techniques
Our lateral flow readers offer three advantages:
How we achieve these advantages
Custom lateral flow readers for OEM use
OEM product supply flow
The "Made by Hamamatsu" advantage: advanced capabilities in essential technologies
Recommended products
Related market information

Lateral flow technique, sometimes also referred to as rapid antigen testing, is a method for detecting disease by dropping a patient's body fluid sample (saliva, urine, etc.) containing an analyte onto a test strip. An allergic reaction indicating a positive test result appears as a colored line. This is a speedy and simple technique that produces diagnostic results in 10 to 15 minutes.

Fundamentally, the intensity of the colored line on a test strip is proportional to the amount of the patient's analyte in the sample. This is true for both absorption method and fluorescence method, which is becoming increasingly popular in lateral flow detection systems. Lateral flow test strips are usually judged visually, but detection is often limited by the user's eyesight and judgement. However, using a reader instrument with high sensitivity and accuracy can give more reliable test results, even with small sample volumes, lowering the burden on the person being tested. Hamamatsu lateral flow readers incorporate state-of-the-art opto-mechanical designs, making reliable early-stage disease detection possible.

How does lateral flow technique work? Case study: COVID-19

Quick fact - lateral flow technique (LFT) is often referred to using other descriptions including lateral flow devices (LFD), immunochromatographic assays, and rapid antigen tests or variations of these. All of these are commonly used names for this technology.

More information

Applications: what can lateral flow be used for?

Applications for lateral flow reader

Medical applications: Rapid diagnostics for various infectious diseases such as Covid, influenza, TB, HIV, etc. Detection of cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes, pregnancy testing, or drugs of abuse

Dental applications: Screening for periodontal disease and oral cancer, detection of bacterial or viral infections in the oral cavity, evaluation of dental materials for quality control purposes

Food quality: Detection of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria; quantification of allergens in food products; verification of food authenticity, organic purity, and origin.

Veterinary: There are various diagnostic uses for animals including rapid disease detection or point-of-care use to quickly detect infectious diseases such as parvovirus in dogs or feline leukemia virus in cats, pregnancy testing, parasite control, animal feed quality monitoring for livestock, etc.

Environmental and crop safety: Detection of pollutants in air, water, and soil samples. Assessment of air quality in urban and industrial areas. Rapid detection of pesticides and herbicides in agricultural products, screening for naturally occurring fungal toxins such as antrax, and identification of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in crops

Industrial applications (chemical development): Quality control in chemical manufacturing processes, detection of impurities and contaminants in chemical compounds, and assessment of catalyst efficiency and reaction yields

Biodefense and security: Rapid identification of biological warfare agents such as anthrax and ricin, screening for biohazards or infectious agents in public spaces, surveillance of pathogens in water supplies and food chains

Drug development: Screening of molecular interactions in drug discovery, evaluation of biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis, and optimization of experimental conditions in laboratory drug research

Consumer products quality control (cosmetics & textiles): Verification of ingredient composition in personal care products, testing of cosmetics for allergens and contaminants, rapid screening for the presence and concentration of dyes in textile materials, or verification of dye color consistency and uniformity across production batches

Measurement techniques

Visual inspection

Basic technique for reading lateral flow test strips.

Lateral flow reader (absorption method)

Using a lateral flow reader is a more convenient and reliable way to automate the reading, storing, and sharing of test strip results.

Lateral flow reader (fluorescence method)

Fluorescence is a technique ideal for detecting early stage disease, and other diagnostic needs such as detecting pathogens like Anthrax in crops, etc..Our high sensitivity reader allows for reliable detection of weak fluorescence signals even with a small amount of antigen in the sample.

	Visual inspection	Testing by reader

		Absorption method	Fluorescence method
Sensitivity	Low	High	Very high
Ease of use	Easy	Not so easy
Time management	Manual	Automated
Reagent error detection	Not detectable	Reader can detect
Accuracy of measurement results	Subjective	Repeatable
Recording results	Requires a scanner or camera	Automatically digitalized

Our lateral flow readers offer three advantages:

1. Improved sensitivity - our readers can detect lines that are difficult to distinguish under ordinary visual inspection

Due to our advanced optical design, Hamamatsu's lateral flow readers can detect test lines that are difficult to identify visually.

For example, clinicians at medical centers often have different judgments interpreting test results visually.

Positive results on test strips could be missed depending on a clinician's vision and opinion
Accurate test results may require repeated testing
Retesting is time-consuming and expensive, placing a burden on the clinic and the patient

Our lateral flow readers allow for highly accurate detection of test lines and colors that are difficult to see visually.

Allows for color intensity threshold setting for multiplex testing
Supports clinician's diagnosis with high confidence
Provides rapid confirmation of test results

2. High repeatability - our readers have low CV (3%) due to our advanced opto-mechanical design

Our research grade lateral flow readers C10066 series are ideal for quality control and development of lateral flow reagents. These high accuracy units allow for evaluation of differences between reagent lots and changes in reagents over time with high repeatability. Our new OEM lateral flow readers C16723 series have all of the same advanced performance as the C10066, but in a smaller, lower cost, highly customizable format.

Unreliable results

Difficult to determine if test result variations are due to the quality of the test strip or lateral flow reader performance
Judging test results becomes difficult because measurement results are unreliable
Clinicians may feel insecure about their diagnosis

Highly reliable results

Consistent results no matter how many times a test is repeated. Provides accurate test results, whether positive or negative
Accurate response enables streamlined reagent development while improving test strip quality control
Built-in software calibration tool ensures long-term test result reliability

Users benefit from low CV values

< 3% (inter-test)
< 1% (intra-test)

For quantitative testing, detection accuracy becomes critical. As seen in the graph on the left, our lateral flow readers keep measurement variations within 1% intra-test repeatability. Thus, users can get highly reliable measurement results even on samples with low antigen content down to several mABS.

3. Wide reagent compatibility - our readers can detect either absorption or fluorescence generated lines

Our lateral flow readers are renowned for detecting various labels and markers, allowing for optimization for specific labels, whether using absorption or fluorescence. Our readers ensure excellent compatibility with research targets when developing new test strips. Based on Hamamatsu's vast experience with a broad range of labels, we can provide custom solutions with our C16723 series OEM readers for unlisted labels. For further details, please contact us.

Color labels

Colloidal gold
Color latex
Others

Fluorescent labels

Eu
FITC
Others

How we achieve these advantages

Hamamatsu applies a comprehensive product development process by leveraging our advanced optical measurement technologies. Established more than 70 years ago, we have consistently advanced a broad array of optical measurement technologies, and today we are acknowledged globally as a leader in photonic devices. The design, development, and manufacturing of our lateral flow readers leverage all our years of expertise in photonics. This includes our readers' unique detection capabilities with industry-leading sensitivity and accuracy, even for difficult to detect ultra-low signals from lateral flow reagents.

Custom lateral flow readers for OEM use

Our lateral flow readers integrate various underlying technologies such as electronics, mechatronics and software which can be adapted to integrate a wide range of options. Indeed, Hamamatsu has a successful track record in supplying OEM readers and dealing with special requirements as summarized in the table below.

In addition, we can provide a wide range of functions and features to satisfy various needs and intended applications. By working closely together with customers, Hamamatsu can generate a custom OEM reader with optimal design to satisfy even the most demanding customers.

If you are interested, please click on the Contact Us button at the bottom of the page. For your convenience, we have made available our survey to help design a unique lateral flow reader that meets all of your requirements.

Item	Description
Optical measurement	We optimize the detection system according to the desired measurement targets to achieve the highest sensitivity when detecting various measurement targets such as red or blue light absorption reagents as well as a wide range of fluorescent reagents.
Interface	We can provide a variety of interface types such as touch panels and pushbuttons for user-friendly operation.
Housing shape	We can offer OEM instruments in various different sizes and shapes to each customers' needs. Basically, adding more functions to the reader increases the size while the reagent tray shape is also customizable.
Output functions	A display can be added to observe test results. Also a thermal printer can be installed to record hard copies or a USB port can be added for data communication to a PC.
Data management	A barcode reader can be added for easy management of individual lateral flow test strip results.

OEM product supply flow

Lateral Flow Reader - OEM product supply flow

The "Made by Hamamatsu" advantage: advanced capabilities in essential technologies

Made by Hamamatsu

Leveraging years of experience, we combine Hamamatsu’s state of the art detectors with optics, mechatronics, electronics and software to produce lateral flow readers with industry leading detection sensitivity and accuracy. Contact us today to discuss your needs and we will gladly customize an OEM solution for you.

Recommended products

Lateral flow reader C16723-10

Lateral flow readers series THETA®

Disclaimer: The products listed on this page are not finished medical devices and do not have clearance from the FDA or any other medical regulatory body. They are offered as components to be incorporated into OEM systems, and it is incumbent on the OEM system manufacturer to obtain regulatory clearance for any medical use.

These products are not intended for direct sale to dentists, doctors, veterinarians, or other healthcare practitioners.

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