ALPCO, a leading producer of research and clinical immunoassays, will expand its STELLUX® Chemiluminescence platform into clinical gastroenterology testing, and plans to launch a chemiluminescence calprotectin ELISA in 2019. The assay will feature increased sensitivity and the broadest range on the market to accurately quantify levels of calprotectin in human stool samples.

A clinical trial is currently underway to evaluate the predictive values of the STELLUX® Chemiluminescence Calprotectin ELISA for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), specifically Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The clinical trial will evaluate the use of the assay to aid in the differentiation of IBD from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) when used in conjunction with other diagnostic testing.

“Our customers are experiencing many challenges with quantifying calprotectin levels,” explains ALPCO’s president, Sean Conley. “A large proportion of stool samples need to be rerun because the values fall above the measurable range, wasting valuable time while physicians and patients wait for results. We designed our STELLUX® Chemiluminescence Calprotectin ELISA to overcome this challenge to allow for a faster turnaround time of results for physicians and their patients.”

Additionally, the STELLUX® Calprotectin ELISA is compatible with a stool extraction device, which streamlines sample extraction and processing, saving laboratories time, money, and resources. The assay is also automatable, further enabling an increase in productivity and reduction in turnaround times.

—Newswise