The bottom line: We’re looking for a large enough market to justify manufacturing setup and regulatory costs where consumers would be prepared to pay $15+ per test. The unique features to exploit are multiplexing of dozens of quantitive tests combined with rapid & simple point-of-care use with minimal sample prep – carefully check out the full comparison to competing methods in the table below.
The vast majority of biosensors today are based on some form of optical readout to get the results you want. You usually have a choice between inexpensive (but non-quantitative) methods such as lateral flow tests (e.g. pregnancy tests), which just show you a blue line if positive, or more sensitive tests that can tell you how much of the analyte is present using specialised optical equipment. These quantitative tests generally require several extra wash steps and additional reagents and are carried out by labs or on specialised microfluidic or robotic platforms. We wanted to develop a sensitive, quantitative technology that doesn’t require expensive platforms but instead:
And that’s what we’ve done with our e-Gnosis chip! We’re now looking for both attractive markets in the medical diagnostics space or in the potentially much easier to enter consumer space. Please read the “Your mission” section below carefully!
The table below compares our device to existing test categories. The e-Gnosis chip combines the advantages of quantitative, multiplexed tests with the accessibility of a low-cost, mobile reader – which should make it very attractive to consumer applications. However we need to find one where we can reach high volumes to justify setup costs and where a cost of goods sold of $6-8 per test is realistic.
For more detail: e-Gnosis chip
