A company called Genespots Healthcare has turned to crowdfunding website Indiegogo to bring at-home cancer diagnosis to the mass market. Without requiring special laboratories or even special training, the HEALTHLOGGER allows users to easily monitor their own health relying on molecular diagnostic testing.
“It’s this simple: you unpack the device, prick a finger for a drop of blood, apply the sample into the designated space, and grab a cup of tea while you wait for your individualized results,” Genespots’ Indiegogo page reads. “It really is that easy; and it only takes a few minutes of your precious time.”
In the case of a high-risk probability cancer diagnosis – the “warning” signal will be shown.Users should apply their blood sample in the designated spot, and let HEALTHLOGGER do its magic using a specialized microfluidic preparation system to extract a DNA sample. This purified DNA sample and its hybridization pattern is then evaluated by the device’s algorithms for the presence of cancer. And in the case of a high-risk probability diagnosis – the “warning” signal will be shown.
During the initial launch, the first devices available will test for lung, breast and prostate cancers, with additional cancer detection systems coming in the future.
HEALTHLOGGER’s “data-driven” cancer diagnosis is based a detailed analysis and evaluation of biological data using two main technologies: a microfluidic analysis system and a specialized evaluation data chip.
HEALTHLOGGER’s “data-driven” cancer diagnosis is based a detailed analysis and evaluation of biological data.Microfluidic analysis systems are great because they handle micro volumes of fluid in small channels. On the other hand, said evaluation data chip is algorithm driven, evaluating the distribution of certain hybridization DNA spots related to other hybridization spots. In Genespots’ technology, DNA spots are not genes or promotor regions of genes, but different, unrelated, epigenetic-sensitive DNA fragments.
Although Genespots Healthcare is a US-based company, its R&D department is based in Germany and is cooperating with several prestigious German research institutes and companies. The plan is to work with third parties to access a large sample collection, which will be used for device verification purposes. FDA clearance and European certification will be applied for as soon as the first product is finished.
Genespots Healthcare is looking to raise $250,000 in its campaign, with single HEALTHLOGGER device going for $175.