Technology The Need Oxygen Free Radicals and their analogues (collectively known as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)) are essential for effective metabolic activity in all living organisms. However, a high ROS concentration may cause excessive oxidation that is damaging to many biological pathways. The body tries to maintain a balance between ROS and its antioxidant defenses to ensure healthy physiology. When this equilibrium becomes unbalanced, the body's physiological response/activity may be adversely affected, leading to disease. Medical research has conclusively shown that Oxidative Stress is a major factor in diseases such as: Chronic Heart Failure Coronary Heart Disease (Arteriosclerosis) Diabetes Alzheimer's Disease Research in the areas of Oxidative Stress, has skyrocketed, with the number of citations increasing more than 20 times in the past decade. The Solution Lumitest has developed the TCL Analyzer, a bench top analyzer of Oxidative Stress in both lipid-soluble and water-soluble samples. The TCL Analyzer applies heat to a sample, and induces luminescence, at a fixed elevated temperature. This photon emission is a measure of the intensity of the process, and gives a rapid and accurate view of both objective oxidative stress and susceptibility to oxidation. The photons emitted during the process are continuously counted over a specified period of time, providing an immediate and accurate indication of the Oxidative Stress levels. Additionally, this emission fingerprint is indicative of the dynamics of the oxidative reactions that occur, and offers additional information regarding the characteristic elements making up this Oxidative Stress, as well as the seriousness of the impending Oxidative Stress-related threat. The TCL Analyzer directly and rapidly analyzes oxidizability without the need for any reagents. Its advantages over existing methods include lower cost, simpler assay, no need for a skilled technician less technician time required, and an output that is both digital and predictive. A patent for TCL Analyzer (method and apparatus) has been granted in USA, Japan, Australia, China, Russia and Israel. More approvals are expected. Applications Currently, in spite of the importance of investigating oxidative stress, many studies are limited in number of samples due to the complexity of the existing assay methods. The TCL analyzer opens new horizons for both research and clinical applications due to its easy operation, fast response, and no need for skilled personnel. Over the next few years Oxidative Stress measurement will develop from their current research applications to active use in the clinical diagnostics arena. Based on the constant need for an effective, rapid and user-friendly tool to gauge free radical activity in their biological samples TCL is already showing promise as a technique in: Predictive of potential tendency to a certain illness Early stage diagnosis Treatment benefit analysis Based on results from a large number of clinical studies managed by Lumitest and others, clinical diagnostic laboratories will be using Oxidative Stress to diagnose and monitor a large number of diseases in the coming years. A clinical study, held by Lumitest shows very promising indication for the use of TCL test as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for severe CHF patients. According to the results - TCL may be used as a risk stratification tool for patients with HF. In patients who are discharged from the hospital after ADHF, it may be used as a general prognostic marker and as a predictor for a near HF admission (1-4 months) and possibly will be able to predict a HF admission in the next two weeks.

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