HemoScreen · Point-of-care hematology analyser based on visco-elastic focusing, digital imaging, image processing and machine learning

HemoScreen is the first true point-of-care hematology analyser: a portable (8kg) and affordable (€4,500) device that can be operated by any medical personnel (no maintenance or calibration). The analyser uses low-cost (€8) disposable cartridges containing a high performance microfluidic chip. The phase 1 market study identified three priority segments for market introduction: physician office labs (POL), oncology and neonatal. In all 3 segments, HemoScreen can reduce the cost of the blood test by at least 50% as physicians can run the test with their own equipment instead of purchasing it from an external lab. More importantly, physicians can get immediate (9 min) results instead of waiting for 24-72 hours, cutting operational inefficiencies, reducing medical transcription errors, improving patient safety, minimizing the time to adequate treatment and ultimately, improving patient outcomes.HemoScreen relies on direct cell characterization based on imaging, the gold standard for cell classification, and a patented visco-elastic focusing method, which is more robust and efficient than hydrodynamic focusing (used in flow cytometry). The technology has already generated 7 patent families and 3 more are expected to be filed during this project. The project will conduct a series of trials involving over 4,000 blood tests over 5 trial sites spread between Sweden, Belgium, UK and USA. The trial results will be used for product improvement, industrialization and certification.Based on preliminary feedback from the FDA, the HemoScreen is the first true hematology POC analyser designed in accordance with CLIA waiver requirements, enabling thousands of physicians to run their own blood tests without requiring any lab certification. PixCell’s vision is to make cell-based diagnostics as simple as a glucose test and revolutionize POC diagnostics. Following a full market launch in 2020, PixCell medical forecasts revenues of €36M and headcount of 85 employees by 2022.