Now under new management after been acquired by Personal Screening plc, we are now among the World leaders in rapid testing for smoking, and currently have the only point-of-care quantitative urine test for cotinine and the other nicotine metabolites.

SmokeScreen® is the first commercial example of a device called SafeTube™. This is a patented technology which allows quick and easy-to-use colorimetric and other assays to be carried out away from the laboratory without the need for expensive instrumentation. The device allows reactive chemicals to be isolated from one another before the test and safely contains reagents and sample after use, reducing the chance of operator contamination and allowing for safe disposal.

SmokeScreen®, the 6-minute urine test can be used on its own to correctly identify smokers, with a colour chart for a semi-quantitative measure of smoking and urine can be analysed with the new dedicated colorimeter for a quantitative measure of nicotine intake. This instrument is sensitive enough to detect down to passive smoking levels. The colorimetric assay used turns a urine sample different shades of pink.

Saliva SmokeScreen® comes with a new saliva device, which facilitates the collection of the 1ml of saliva required for the test. The 10-minute test can give a semi-quantitative assessment of smoking habit, but a dedicated colorimeter for a quantitative result is under development. The assay used turns a saliva sample different shades of yellow.

Passive SmokeScreen® utilises the more sensitive assay used in the saliva test and is read by the dedicated colorimeter. Although Smokescreen® and the present colorimeter can detect passive smoking levels, this is at the limit of its sensitivity. The Passive test is designed to detect second-hand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke in children and those exposed to smoke in the workplace. This test is currently under development and should be available shortly.

IsoScreen™ is a urine test which detects the metabolites of isoniazid, and anti-tuberculous drug used in the treatment of tuberculosis. This test is used to monitor treatment adherence in patients with TB, and helps to prevent the development of multi-drug resistant TB.