XIP Diagnostics (XIPDx) has developed a unique technology that enables medical professionals to measure the constituents in a drop of whole blood rapidly and accurately using a single-use, digital-read, match-book-size device.

"Our mission is to digitize all the information in a drop of blood, at the point of need," says Gary H. Stroy, Chairman and CEO. "Add blood, read results, and discard."

According to the company, XIPDx has developed the first disposable blood analyzer that collects a drop of blood from a finger-stick and displays concentrations for multiple biomarkers with laboratory quality. The technology relies on a digital microchip to count the number of target molecules circulating in blood, or other biological samples. Once the measurement is complete, results are wirelessly uploaded to a smart phone and the disposable analyzer can be discarded.

The devices will first be used to simplify the process of diagnosing heart attacks by providing on-demand, high-sensitivity biomarker measurements. These disposable blood analyzers will be able to rapidly confirm a heart attack following the onset of symptoms such as chest chest pain, shortness of breath, or nausea.

"Some 8 million people a year in the US currently present to hospital emergency rooms with these symptoms, 80% of which are usually heartburn from a spicy meal or alcohol," says Stroy. "The XIPDx test will enable ER doctors to rule in or rule out a true cardiac event from something benign in just minutes, where currently it takes several hours to get the same results from a central laboratory."

The Digital Molecule Counting technology developed by XIPDx enables a new generation of disposable sample analyzers that combine the superior convenience of reader-free operation, finger-stick sampling, and wireless reporting with the breakthrough analytical performance of multiplexing, high sensitivity, and tight quantification.

A study undertaken at the University of Maryland benchmarked the analytical performance of XIPDx's technology with blood samples from patients presenting to the University of Maryland Medical Center with chest pain. Those blood samples were analyzed on XIPDx devices for the presence of troponin, a heart attack marker. Results showed a tight correlation to the gold standard laboratory system with an LOD (logarithm of the odds) of 5pg/ml and imprecision of 12%.

The company's patented technology along with cutting-edge research and development in the field of digital diagnostics technology appeals to investors and government health organizations, according to XIPDx. While XIPDx is focusing the use of its technology initially on the process of diagnosing heart attacks, company officials expect that its disposable blood analyzers will eventually be used in other health areas as well, such as infertility and infectious diseases.

The core technology of the rapidly growing medical diagnostics company was sparked by work at UC Berkeley's Sensor and Actuator Center. XIPDx moved to its Hacienda office in September 2017 from a shared incubator space in Berkeley and currently has 11 employees.

For more information about XIP Diagnostics, please visit xip.life.