Capitainer Highlights: New Partnerships, Patient Stories, and Validation of Capitainer Cards for Drug Testing

As we move further into 2024, we are pleased to bring you this edition of our newsletter, filled with updates and insights from Capitainer. This issue highlights significant developments, including a substantial funding round, new partnerships and team members, insights from a diabetes patient using our technology, and a recent study validating Capitainer?B for efficient drug and alcohol testing. Moreover, we explore the evolution of blood sampling cards. We invite you to read about these topics, as we continue to push the boundaries of healthcare innovation and patient care.

Happy reading!

Latest Updates & Insights from Capitainer

Capitainer Secures Substantial Funding to Boost Production and Establish Its Presence on the American Market

We have received a substantial financial boost to enhance our production capabilities and expand our sales reach across Europe and the U.S. This investment round reflects robust confidence in our innovative self-sampling technology for fingertip blood collection, which simplifies and improves the accuracy of health monitoring from home. The funding will enable us to boost our production, strengthen our sales team, and increase our marketing efforts, particularly in the U.S. Read about our latest funding round

Capitainer and Life Genomics Sign Partnership for Self-sampling Diagnostics Implementation

We have partnered with Life Genomics to enhance the accessibility of home-based diagnostic tests using our advanced self-sampling technology. This collaboration allows Life Genomics to expand its test offerings, starting with new services for hypothyroidism detection. The partnership aims to simplify and expand the use of home testing, providing a significant advancement in diagnosing conditions like hypothyroidism, which often goes undetected. This move represents a strategic step to broaden the application of our sampling solutions and improve health outcomes. Read more about the partnership

Microsampling for Diabetes Monitoring – A User Perspective

We recently featured an enlightening user perspective from Osborn – a type 1 diabetes patient, discussing the empowerment that at-home microsampling can bring. Diagnosed unexpectedly at 26, Osborn now successfully manages his condition with minimal medical intervention, emphasizing the potential benefits of increased accessibility to home-based health monitoring. He highlighted the transformative possibility of regularly conducting at-home HbA1c tests, which would help better manage his diabetes while reducing healthcare system burdens. This aligns with national guidelines advocating for patient empowerment and efficient healthcare utilization. Read about Osborn's Experience with Home Sampling

Capitainer Recruits New Sales and Distribution Manager to Strengthen the Sales Organization

We have appointed Ylva Andell Elias as new Sales and Distribution Manager. With extensive experience in international sales within the diagnostics and medical research sectors, Ylva will lead the expansion of the company's global sales efforts. This strategic move aligns with our ongoing international growth. Read about our new Sales and Distribution Manager

Publication Highlight: Swedish Study Validates Clinical Sampling with Capitainer?B in Multi-Panel Drug Testing

A recent study by Karolinska Institutet has validated Capitainer?B for drug and alcohol testing. Using just a single drop of blood derived from a fingerstick, a panel of 35 different drugs can be detected. This new method offers a private, efficient alternative to traditional urine tests, meeting forensic standards and enabling rapid clinical decisions. Read more about the study and its implications for drug testing

Insight: The Evolution of Blood Sampling Cards

Blood microsampling represents a significant advancement in medical diagnostics, enabling the collection and analysis of small blood volumes via a minimally invasive method. This process utilizes a lancet for a quick skin prick, collecting blood on specially designed cards, known as blood sampling cards. These cards originated from innovations by microbiologist Robert Guthrie in the 1960s.

Blood sampling cards offer a range of clinical and non-clinical benefits. They are less invasive than traditional venipuncture, enhancing comfort especially in pediatric care, and do not require the presence of trained phlebotomists, which reduces costs and operational complexity. Their ease of use promotes wider accessibility, particularly beneficial in remote or underserved areas.

The primary format for these cards is a piece of filter paper made typically from 100% cotton linter fiber, onto which a blood drop is applied and allowed to dry. Analytes such as metabolites and antibodies are later extracted from a punched-out disc of the dried blood for analysis.

Despite the qualitative nature of traditional dried blood spot (DBS) sampling, recent advancements have been made in quantitative microsampling technologies. Volumetric microsampling devices, such as those developed by Capitainer, ensure a precisely metered blood volume, enhancing the accuracy of subsequent analyses. Capitainer's devices, built upon proprietary microfluidic technology, have proven effective in applications including therapeutic drug monitoring, quantitative biomarker detection, and large-scale disease surveillance.

Blood sampling cards continue to evolve, demonstrating their increasing utility in medical diagnostics and public health. The ongoing development of these cards for specialized applications, like nucleic acid analysis, underscores their potential to further replace more invasive sampling methods, aligning with a more patient-centric approach to healthcare.

Events We Are Attending

European Congress of Endocrinology

We are attending the European Congress of Endocrinology – the largest endocrine event in Europe – on 11–14 May 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. Meet our specialists in booth number 10 to learn more about how we can offer new possibilities for patient centric blood sampling solutions and discuss how to get started with a project for better personalized care. Read more about the event here

UK Kidney Week

We are attending UK Kidney Week – the UK’s largest conference for the professional kidney community – on 11–13 June 2024 in Edinburgh. The UK Kidney Association 's annual meeting offers kidney professionals unique opportunities to network, engage with advanced research, and explore future healthcare innovations. Meet us in booth number C5. Read more about the event here

Thank you for taking the time to read our latest insights. We hope you have found the newsletter valuable. Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome, so please don't hesitate to get in touch. Look out for our next newsletter, scheduled to arrive in August.

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Best wishes,

The Capitainer Team