The test media is analysed by a portable reader that detects and counts the number of superparamagnetic beads in a simple multi-coil reading head.
Contrarily to conventional methods which measure the susceptibility (χ) of superparamagnetic materials, MIAtek® relies on their unique non-linear features and measures only their non-linear impact on the magnetic field applied.
To exploit their non-linearity, magnetic beads are simultaneously excited by two oscillating currents with different frequencies (f0 & f1).
Conventional magnetic approaches measure a small variation of a high level signal, which is very difficult.
The non linearity of superparamagnetic materials causes an intermodulation between the two applied frequencies and generates new spectral components in the spectrum of the measured voltage. These peaks are proportional to the volume of the magnetic beads used as labels.
MIAtek® technology is based on the measurement of these intermodulation peaks which permits a more accurate detection of the quantity of superparamagnetic labels.
The MIAtek® reader is capable of quantifying 5 orders of magnitude.
A numerical result is displayed on the PDA screen reflecting
the quantity of biological target.