At the TEDMED 2014 conference earlier this week, medical device developer QuantuMDx Group announced the successful production of its first fully-integrated sample-to-result working prototype of Q-POC, a handheld lab that delivers DNA-based medical diagnosis in minutes.
The QuantuMDx Group believes the future of disease management and drug resistance monitoring is networked geo-stamped data, a functionality provided by the handheld Q-POC device. Rapid and low cost testing will enable continuous monitoring of disease and antimicrobial resistance throughout populations, as well as surveillance for emerging novel pathogen threats such as Ebola.
Thousands of Q-POC devices worldwide will use anonymized disease data to create an early warning system which will contribute to the prevention of pandemics, as well as the containment and management of drug resistance. This global network of devices will enable personalized medicine at the individual level and real-time public health at the national or global level.
“With genetic data at their fingertips, frontline health workers will be able to provide personalized healthcare, no matter where they are; public health officials will have the information they need to mobilize the right resources to the right place at the right time; researchers will be better equipped to monitor the efficacy of a disease intervention. Due for commercialization in 2016, Q-POC is the Bio-API that will make this possible by translating genetic code to binary,” says Q-POC inventor Jonathan O’Halloran. Learn more about the Q-POC.
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