Endotoxin and Rapid Microbiological Products
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Endotoxin and Rapid Microbiological Products
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January 4, 2007 Endosafe®-PTS™ Completes Journey to the International Space Station Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) announces that its portable endotoxin testing system, the Endosafe® - PTS™, was recently launched into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery and successfully reached the International Space Station as part of NASA’s ongoing efforts to conduct biological research in space. The Endosafe®-PTS™ is a handheld endotoxin detection system that was licensed by the FDA in July 2006 and is currently in use in pharmaceutical and biotechnology facilities around the world as a release method for drug products due to its ease-of-use and rapid results. The system is a point-of-use application that includes a handheld reader and disposable cartridge preloaded with all of the reagents to perform the test. The reader incubates the samples and reads the optical density to provide quantitative results in about 15 minutes. The PTS™ is designed to eliminate subjectivity and interpretation of results, and up to 100 results can be saved in memory and downloaded to lab management software. The PTS™ was modified for spaceflight by Charles River Laboratories in collaboration with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) science team, Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development (LOCAD), and Carnegie Institution of Washington. The LOCAD-PTS will help astronaut-scientists perform biological studies necessary for an extended human presence in space, from crew health and spacecraft environmental studies to the search for life elsewhere in the solar system. Initially, it will provide rapid analysis to determine if certain types of bacteria are present on various space station surfaces. In the future, interchangeable system components will enable station crews to monitor their environment for contaminants such as yeast, mold and, eventually, more virulent and potentially harmful bacteria -- such as E. coli and Salmonella.1
"The information gained from
this flight demonstration will be used to develop even more mature technology,
enabling researchers to perform thousands of tests simultaneously in the space
environment," said Dr. Lisa Monaco, lead scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space
Flight Center. "Such a platform will enable space-based explorers to
perform environmental tests, conduct crew health studies, and support the
search for life on Mars."1
The PTS™ reader is a platform that is used for other rapid micro methods, including Gram identification and protein determination. “We are excited to be collaborating with NASA on this remarkable new application for the PTS™. The PTS™ technology has opened many new avenues of research and development for us. What began as an innovative method for efficient detection of microbial contamination has now expanded to a broad array of rapid assays including monitoring environmental cleanliness and testing kidney dialysis units and cell transplantation materials. Further applications for the PTS™ could also include use in intensive care units for clinical diagnosis,” explains Dr. Norman Wainwright, Director of Research and Development at Charles River Laboratories. To read the full article published in The Marshall Star, NASA's Marshall Space Center's weekly publication, click here. 1 “NASA Lab-on-a-Chip Technology Begins Journey to Space Station” press release, December 4, 2006. | 
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