The idea behind the at-home diagnostic kit is to provide patients with far greater control over the management their health. The kit is called the ENZYPAD and by using it a patient can painlessly take a sample of blood and a test is then run using a microfluidic cartridge. The test result is made instantly available to patients via a mobile app.
By assessing results regularly, patients can lead active lifestyles with greater confidence in terms of being better informed about their risk of bleeding. The home-kit will also obviate the need to perform traditional blood tests at a hospital.
Hemophilia (‘haemophilia’) is a rare disorder where a person’s blood does not clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins (clotting factors). It is a mostly inherited genetic disorder. There are two main types of hemophilia: hemophilia A, which occurs due to low amounts of clotting factor VIII, and hemophilia B, which occurs due to low levels of clotting factor IX.
With the technology behind the kit, microfluidics is the science of manipulating and controlling fluids, usually in the range of microliters to picoliters. By understanding the behavior, precise control, and manipulation of fluids, cell behavior can be better understood through studying carefully controlled chemoattractant gradients.
The technology uses proprietary innovative latent luciferin-protected peptide substrates to determine the activity of specific enzymes in the coagulation cascade.
Commenting on the new technology, Dirk Pollet, CEO of Enzyre states: “With our proprietary technology, we aim to provide hemophilia patients and their caregivers with peace of mind by allowing them to monitor coagulation status at home. Ultimately we’d like to empower these patients to live a normal life.”
