Challenge
A human body excretes many molecules via breathing which are correlated to health and disease. Currently, it is impossible to measure these specific molecules in a patient’s breath in a Point of Care setting.
Opportunity
The golden standard for measuring volatile molecules in the air is gas chromatography (GC). Until recently, this was only feasible in very large (‘room size’) equipment. Philips has miniaturized this process, currently at ‘shoe box’ (mini) scale, with an ambition to get down to ‘matchbox’ (micro) level, with matching cost price ambitions. We have obtained exclusive rights to apply this to the medical domain. A first application for this microGC platform has been validated and patented: ARDS. ARDS is a lung condition that is prevalent in the Intensive Care setting, lethal in 50% of cases, and has currently no early detection method. Early diagnosis can significantly increase the chance of survival of patients.
Solution
The first step to bring microGC to the market would be to develop and commercialize the ARDS proposition. In parallel, building out the microGC platform into a leading PoC measurement platform by identifying collaboration opportunities with IP holders for other bio-markers and bringing these to market in relevant clinical settings, with the most effective business model.
Status
The Philips device and biomarkers are currently being tested and validated in a prospective 500 patient clinical trial in the Amsterdam Medical Center and Maastricht UMC, providing proof of concept. Further pdevelopment on the microGC platform is also ongoing.
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CEO
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