Smart COVID-19 antibody test launches to help combat the pandemic

Medtech company Bloom Diagnostics produces new connected testing system that can detect COVID-19 antibodies within minutes

ZURICH: Swiss medtech company Bloom Diagnostics today announced the launch of its COVID-19 antibody test for professional use in the EU. The Bloom System allows healthcare professionals to conduct COVID-19 antibody testing with real-time results using its Bloom Lab, a smart, Bluetooth enabled device which operates through the Bloom App on the user’s smartphone.  The Bloom System can also be used for self-testing in the home, a use case for which the company is seeking approval for Europe and the US. The Bloom System is unique in that it aims to eliminate long waiting times for COVID-19 antibody tests and relieve pressure on healthcare systems. Bloom Diagnostics is an innovative medtech company that is developing further tests for a wide range of medical conditions on the Bloom System, its smart diagnostic platform.

According to leading American academic medical center Mayo Clinic, access to rapid-response antibody testing is vital in the fight against COVID-19. On average, research estimates that most people develop antibodies within 7 to 14 days after infection. Reacting to the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Bloom Diagnostics developed the fully integrated COVID-19 serological test (which analyzes blood) for professional use into the Bloom System. The test was validated by Professor Adriano Aguzzi, director of the Institute of Neuropathology at the University Hospital Zurich. The test can help authorities or organizations understand the rate of spread of the pandemic and development of antibodies in a specific region or cohort. The fully anonymized data also allows for insights such as the rate of infection among different age groups and genders, geographical locations and connections to other diseases.

The Bloom COVID-19 test can be used by healthcare professionals in the EU such as doctors, nurses, or pharmacists who can test persons for antibodies in a matter of minutes. The Bloom System also offers additional, personalized information on each reading which provides additional understanding to test recipients. 

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

Bloom Diagnostics was founded in 2018 by Angelica Kohlmann and Thomas Kupper. The company recently closed a US$11.7 million Series B funding round which will be used for additional R&D and to drive expansion throughout Europe and the US. Among their early investors are Speedinvest from Austria and Canadian Walter Group.

The company, with an ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified medical device quality management system, expects to receive FDA approval for the USA soon. 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.

Speaking on the announcement, Angelica Kohlmann, MD PhD, Chairperson at Bloom Diagnostics, said: “Our technology allows for smart-testing with real-time results and learnings, which will impact healthcare as a whole, allowing for better prevention and therapies.”

Thomas Kupper, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Bloom, said: “Our fully encrypted system is a state-of-the-art technology that will transform the status quo. People will be able to receive valuable insights and recommendations at home, in an understandable way. The information can be updated whenever there are new scientific insights.”

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 its 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.

Founder and Chairperson, Bloom Diagnostics, Angelica Kohlmann
Angelica Kohlmann serves as Chairperson of the non-executive Board of the Company. She holds an 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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