We all know that telehealth is going to be the norm in the next decade as everyone adapts to the change and sees the advantages of this technology. Now, it is known that SiPhox Health has launched a new at-home blood testing service using the silicon photonic chip, and they have just announced a funding round of $27M led by Intel Capitals and others.
In a statement, CEO Vermeulen said that “Our approach is to miniaturize all the components onto silicon chips”. “Silicon photonics technology leaves the instrument completely untouched, so we inherit all the functionality, multiplexing capability, sensitivity, and so on, and bring that to the consumer.” He also mentioned that “rather than rely on one blood test per year to assess someone’s health, SiPhox Health enables patients and their doctors to get lots of data points to help better make real-time health decisions.”
Currently, the company offers a test kit and tests for 17 biomarkers, essentially your basic panel, in the areas of inflammation, cardiovascular health, metabolic fitness, and hormone balance. Sold on a subscription basis, kits are $95 with a monthly membership of $16, including perks like access to continuous glucose monitors and personalized biohacking tools. The CEO also said in an interview that “it is running the tests using mail-in samples and conventional technology. It is working on developing an at-home device, but it is not on the market yet”. The company also mentioned, “The price of its future offering, which will include the SiPhox Home product, will be subscription-based at less than $100 per month.”
Dubrovsky said, “We’re currently growing exponentially, from when we initially started to learn about the market and blood testing,” and added, “We are now finding early signs of chronic diseases, like pre-diabetes, in about 20% of all the tests we run.” Intel Capitals MD said after the funding, “The rapid growth in telehealth and home health sectors necessitates a new paradigm in diagnostics. SiPhox Health’s fast and accurate at-home testing is poised to change the patient journey for employers, pharma, insurers and health systems,”