Smart blood iron test approved for home use

Innovative self-testing system will help alleviate pressure on medical professionals, while also providing users with peace of mind and accurate, reliable healthcare data

ZURICH, VIENNA, NEW YORK: Swiss medtech company Bloom Diagnostics has announced European Union approval for at-home ferritin testing using their Bloom System - one of many tests to be available with the device. The Bloom System aims to provide users access to a range of at-home or self tests, thereby relieving pressure on GPs and healthcare systems already under strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bloom Diagnostics is an innovative medtech company that has developed a smart diagnostic system for a wide range of medical conditions.

The Bloom System aims to impact the healthcare market by making smart testing accessible to consumers and professionals in a range of sectors. Pin-prick blood samples are captured in the Bloom Test strip, which is then deployed into the Bloom Lab. Following that, cloud-based algorithms aggregate test results with other measurable health status indicators alongside medical history, lifestyle and individual symptoms, giving rapid, fully encrypted feedback through a personalized report on the Bloom App. The entire smart testing process takes around ten minutes.

In the body, iron is needed to produce healthy red blood cells, which are crucial to transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in the body and a ferritin test checks the body’s iron stores. Thus, a ferritin test can help indicate if an individual’s iron stores are low, within normal range, or high.

Low iron stores (iron deficiency) can develop into a condition called anemia, which can manifest in symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, and dizziness. According to the WHO, anemia is affecting ∽30% of non-pregnant women world-wide and about half of these cases are estimated to be caused by iron deficiency. Therefore, women that are menstruating, as well as anyone that may be regularly losing blood, such as those suffering from some gastrointestinal diseases, can greatly benefit from testing their ferritin levels. Also athletes, and those who follow vegan or vegetarian diets, can benefit from checking their ferritin levels as intense exercise and diet influence the body’s iron stores.

High iron stores (iron overload) mean that too much iron is accumulating in the body. This can for example be caused by increased iron absorption as in the case of haemochromatosis, which is the most common genetic disorder in European populations. Therefore, individuals with diagnosed haemochromatosis can benefit from testing their ferritin levels.

When using the Bloom System to test ferritin levels, the Bloom App will not only provide results but also a detailed report explaining exactly what ferritin is as well as suggestions including whether you should follow-up with your doctor and recommendations based on your test result, health status and lifestyle. Ferritin testing approval for the Bloom System is the first of what will soon be a wide range of tests available on the device, including the CE-certified Bloom COVID-19 antibody test.

At-home and self-testing has never been more important, with many people wary of attending hospitals and doctors due to COVID-19. Notably, fear of contracting COVID-19 has caused many Europeans to avoid seeking care. While the true impact of pandemic-related care avoidance may not be known for years to come, there is no doubt that providing individuals with the means to monitor their health at home will help them to remain proactive about their own wellbeing.

Bloom Diagnostics was founded in 2018 by Dr. Angelica Kohlmann and Thomas Kupper. In 2020 the company closed a Series B funding round to further strengthen R&D and to drive expansion throughout Europe and the US. Among Bloom Diagnostics’ early investors are Speedinvest from Austria and Canadian Walter Group.

The ISO-certified company is CE marked for the EU and Switzerland. Bloom Diagnostics aims to rapidly add to its range of capabilities to accelerate the pace of clinical discoveries and, ultimately, the development of new therapies.

Commenting on the latest announcement, Angelica Kohlmann, MD PhD, Co-founder and chairperson at Bloom Diagnostics, said: “This will be one of many rapid at-home tests with the Bloom System, which will help monitor chronic conditions as well as test for infectious diseases, including COVID-19. The uniqueness lies in the real-time feedback and overall connectivity, which is also of great value e.g. for conducting clinical trials."

Tom Kupper, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Bloom Diagnostics, said: “We are incredibly excited to add the Bloom Ferritin Test to our growing family of smart tests. As we learn with every measurement that is anonymously performed with the Bloom System, there is a huge opportunity to generate best-in-class recommendations and health advice to millions of individuals suffering from iron deficiency.”

For more on Bloom Diagnostics please see www.bloomdiagnostics.com/

Notes to Editor:

About Bloom Diagnostics

Bloom Diagnostics is an innovative medtech company whose hardware and software can identify a range of medical conditions, using a combination of advanced biotechnology, cloud computing and scientific research. Bloom Diagnostics’ sophisticated system allows consumers to take control of their own health. Through it’s next-generation technology and personalized data insights, Bloom Diagnostics applies machine learning to improve results and analyze data that may eventually help develop new therapeutics.

Angelica Kohlmann

Angelica Kohlmann serves as Chairperson of the non-executive Board of the Company. She holds a MD and doctorate in medicine from Hamburg University (GER). She has been Chairperson of the Advisory Board Peter Drucker Society Europe / Global Peter Drucker Forum, Vienna (since 2009) and is a non-executive Board member of private and public companies including Teralytics AG (since 2014) and Lonza Group (since 2018). She is also a serial investor in successful companies, with multiple exits, as the latest of CTRL-labs, which was sold to Facebook in 2019.

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