Hitting All the Marks

Since the pandemic, consumers want convenient, affordable and accurate at-home tests. And since these tests are effective in slowing the spread of disease, the Biden Administration has recently restarted offering at-home tests. But developing these tests and getting them into consumers’ hands is not easy.

Creating an inexpensive, at-home molecular test is a challenging bioengineering problem. The test has to hit three critical marks: accuracy, affordability and accessibility. If an accurate test has a $150 price tag or can only be conducted by trained professionals, that’s not going to work.

To get there, Sherlock Biosciences is mixing and matching three sophisticated technologies: our worldwide exclusive use of CRISPR in diagnostics, our proprietary synthetic biology and our artificial intelligence. These approaches are maturing now and are helping us hit all three marks. People will be able to go to their local pharmacy, or order online, pay out of pocket and have complete confidence in their results.

Because these technologies and decentralizing diagnostics are so new, there are questions about the regulatory landscape. Fortunately, COVID opened the door to how agencies are now thinking about at-home diagnostics. Consumers have proven their ability to assess diagnostic results and seek out additional care.

Our first tests will be in the sexual wellness arena for diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea. The FDA has approved OTC tests for pregnancy, respiratory diseases and HIV, helping to clear a path forward.

#AI, #crispr, #syntheticbiology #athomestdtest #STItesting #athometesting #stdtesting #pcrtesting #diagnostictesting #bioengineering