Faster, Simpler, Better
This is the story of childhood friends who developed an innovative technology, dreaming to bring laboratory tests everywhere, from the doctor's desk to the patient's home
Know that feeling when you have to wait for the results of a blood, urine, or other laboratory test for several days? To change this reality once and for all, Roy Rabinowitz (PhD in genetic engineering from Tel Aviv University) and Omer Stoller (mechanical engineer with an MBA from the Technion), childhood friends sharing a common vision, decided to take action.
In March 2022, the two established Kanso Diagnostics and shortly after that joined forces with Prof. Yoav Golan, an infectious disease specialist (Tufts University, Boston), to develop an innovative test designed to create a hybrid between high-quality diagnostics (PCR) and rapid (antigen) testing methods. The goal was to develop a molecular test of maximum accuracy and speed, and significantly lower cost than those available on the market.
The added value envisioned by the founders stems from a technology that makes possible laboratory-grade tests that can be performed anywhere and by anyone, in a simple operation, with results available in half an hour at most.
The Kanso solution intends to produce a real revolution in medicine, including community clinics. Patients will be able to perform the test while visiting the clinic, and physicians will be able to make informed decisions about the treatment based on the immediate test results. The first product the company focuses on is identifying and diagnosing the two most common sexually transmitted bacterial diseases, gonorrhea and chlamydia, which are diagnosed in over 2.3 million people annually in the US alone. The test will also include antibiotic resistance identification, making it far more effective than current laboratory tests that check only for the presence of infection.
In the last quarter of 2023, Kanso Diagnostics gained significant momentum thanks to a $1.8 million investment from the Innovation Authority and additional investors. This enabled the company to assemble a multi-disciplinary team of leading researchers in molecular biology, bioinformatics, engineering, and medicine to accelerate the development of the platform that identifies the genetic fingerprints of specific bacteria and mutations.
At present, the company is in the research and development stage and operates as part of the Incentive Incubator in Or Yehuda. The investors of the company include Peregrine Ventures, the American medical equipment giant Becton Dickinson, the American pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb, Madait (the innovation arm of the Shaare Zedek hospital), and Dr. Shaked Halperin, a private biotech entrepreneur and investor who also serves as the company CSO. These days, Kanso is preparing for another funding round set to start in January 2025.
What about the long-term plans?
Rabinowitz and Stoller set a high bar. "We strongly believe in the platform we've developed, which has the ability to revolutionize how molecular tests are performed. Most important, it will provide patients with fast, high-quality, and accurate treatment, and medical teams with an efficient work tool that can upgrade medical service and take it one step forward."
In collaboration with Kanso Diagnostics
