I-Corps Teams: Chromanostics: Minimal-equipment synthetic biology diagnostics

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies in humans are the cause of millions of deaths annually, primarily in developing nations with limited access to expensive equipment (and in many cases, electricity). Governments and non-government agencies that look to provide aid to address this malnutrition need effective ways to measure which vitamin or mineral deficiencies affect different regions, and which groups of people are most in need of their aid. Currently, measurement of nutrient levels in blood samples is prohibitively expensive for these organizations. In this project, the I-Corps team will confirm the commercial viability of a novel diagnostic test that can measure certain vitamin or mineral levels in human blood, and that can be economically deployed on site in environments with little access to scientific equipment or electricity. The proposed system will provide healthcare workers with information needed to improve and maintain human health. This project will involve customer discovery, market analysis, and the development of a business model related to the proposed innovation. This team intends to interview at least 100 potential customers to better assess the desired characteristics and capabilities of our assay system, and to better define customer segments as well as the characteristics of the desired customer. The team will also strive to better define the market and our competitive advantages, including the unique value proposition. Based on the findings of this research, the team may elect to modify the characteristics of our assay system, to better define target markets, and perhaps more accurately define the proposed project's value proposition and its competitive advantages. The proposed venture, should it be viable, would have a significant impact on nutritional epidemiology work done globally. The proposed technology offers the potential for an order of magnitude reduction in cost, as well as on-site measurement of nutrient levels. Results will be available within a few hours or overnight, compared to the current state of the art which entails refrigerated shipping of samples with a week or more between sampling and receipt of results. The lower cost of this approach places it squarely within the reach of organizations performing nutritional epidemiology work, meaning that populations can be sampled on a meaningful enough scale to allow informed decisions on nutritional interventions. Moreover, this team expects this product to open a new market for nutritional monitoring after interventions; since current measurement costs are so high, tracking the success of a nutritional intervention is not economically viable. The proposed approach could enable tracking that would then allow for scientists and doctors to better understand which of their interventions are working and where, ultimately saving both lives and dollars in the developing world and beyond.