June 13, 2018
...AND CHEAPER...:
"Like Theranos, but it works"-health startup Genalyte proves its worth (RINA RAPHAEL, 6/12/18, Fast Company)
Last month, I had my blood work requested, tested, and analyzed-in less time than it takes to get a manicure.My medical results, which took about 15 minutes, were courtesy of diagnostics startup Genalyte, which spent the last decade perfecting a portable lab that can run 62 tests with just several drops of blood. Dubbed the Maverick Detection System, the mini-fridge-sized device uses microchip technology to analyze multiple antibodies and other proteins. It digitizes the samples and sends them to a cloud-based laboratory for review, sending results to the physician in real time.I tested out the process at the company's headquarters in San Diego. The "lab" was composed of a chair, the 15-inch wide Maverick perched on a rollaway cart (dubbed the Merlin), and a kind nurse who promised she would not tell me when she inserted the needle in my arm. Less than one vial of blood was extracted.A short time later, Dr. Rick Hockett, the pathologist who serves as Genalyte's chief medical officer, sat me down for a brief overview of the results. I was relieved to discover that I did not have any wheat sensitivities-and therefore free to continue on my glutenous path of destruction."Everything is within normal limits," Hockett says. "Boringly normal, as I tell most people."It was quick, easy, and, for once, an efficient medical experience. The results matched recent testing from a traditional lab.
Posted by Orrin Judd at June 13, 2018 4:25 AM