Innovative sensing technology makes
essential diagnostic tests available
anywhere, anytime… using a
smartphone.
A new technology developed by award-winning inventor Dr. Joel Ehrenkranz and the team at i-calQ has just received international recognition by a panel of industry experts as one of 12 finalists in the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE (a new XPRIZE competition focused on health sensors).
How i-calQ is
changing mHealth… for the better
i-calQ’s
portability will change the face of public health, making it possible to
provide critical diagnostic testing in third world countries, remote rural
areas, and underdeveloped areas where poverty reduces access to doctors.
i-calQ performs
essential diagnostic tests on a smartphone that are normally done in a medical
laboratory. A drop of blood or saliva is collected and then analyzed using the
smartphone’s camera lens. Unlike traditional lab tests, which often take days,
the results of the i-calQ testing are available in minutes. Physicians and
consumers can easily perform the tests, and when the test is complete, the
results can be immediately added to the patient’s digital medical record via
Internet.
Another
groundbreaking aspect of the i-calQ technology is the inclusion of an expert
diagnostic system. The i-calQ software analyzes the test results with medical
decision support algorithms to interpret the results and recommend additional
tests or treatment.
Diagnostic testing anywhere, anytime
“We’re
so excited about being named a finalist in the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE,” says
Pamela Turbeville, co-founder and CEO of i-calQ. “Some of the most innovative companies in the
world are participating, all with the goal of delivering better, more
affordable healthcare to consumers everywhere. The fact that our smartphone-based
concept for essential diagnostic testing is recognized as one of the 12 best entries
validates our work and increases our dedication to making i-calQ a universal
tool for medical professionals and consumers.”
About XPRIZE
Founded in 1995, XPRIZE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the
leading organization solving the world’s Grand Challenges by creating and
managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prize competitions that
stimulate investment in research and development worth far more than the prize
itself. The organization motivates and inspires brilliant innovators from all
disciplines to leverage their intellectual and financial capital for the
benefit of humanity. XPRIZE conducts competitions in five Prize Groups:
Education; Exploration; Energy & Environment; Global Development; and Life
Sciences. Active prizes include the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, the $10
million Archon Genomics XPRIZE presented by Express Scripts, the $10 million
Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, and the $2.25 million Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE. For
more information, go to www.xprize.org.
About i-calQ
During his medical fieldwork during the 2007 Ebola
epidemic, Dr. Joel Ehrenkranz saw the urgent need for mobile diagnostic
devices. He realized that smartphones were the future of medicine, and would
eventually be the ideal medical tools for “comprehensive disease management.”
He envisioned a smartphone that could perform quantitative, lab-quality testing,
and then execute medical decision support algorithms to help interpret the test
results. As a result of that insight, Dr. Ehrenkranz co-founded i-calQ in 2011
to develop smartphone technologies for integrated point-of-care testing and
testing result analysis.
In
2013, i-calQ launched its first three diagnostic projects: 1) thyroid disease
management based on point-of-care TSH measurement, 2) stress management based on
salivary cortisol measurement, and 3) antenatal healthcare
management using point-of-care HIV, syphilis, glucose, blood pressure,
hemoglobin, and urinary albumin measurements.
