On demand diagnostics – building a global business combining Blood with Photonics

High Tech Campus Eindhoven is always looking at ways to build upon its established reputation as a world-class ecosystem for high tech hardware. In just a few years, the number of residents on the Campus has grown from 125 to the current tally of 144. They range from large enterprises with thousands of employees to young companies with a small team working on solving a grand challenge.

Mit Patel is the perfect example of an entrepreneur at the early stage of turning a vision into a real business. Originally from India, Mit studied in France before scouting the tech clusters in Tokyo, Montreal and Silicon Valley as a location to build his company. So what brings him to Eindhoven?

The global challenges that we can solve

“I’m driven by the fact that 4 billion people on this planet are deprived of proper health care, simply because they live too far from a clinic. That means that they are never tested and preventable illnesses have free reign. My team is working on devices that can be used by staff in the field without the need for medical training. A few drops of blood is sufficient for the wireless connected device to come up with a reliable analysis."

“We have several practical cases where our high-tech expertise is relevant. In many Western societies, for instance, we’re seeing the rise of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) often called the “silent” liver disease. It resembles alcoholic liver disease, but occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol. Most people with NASH feel fine and are unaware that they have a problem until the liver is permanently damaged sometimes to a point where it no longer functions.”

“Liver diseases affects up to around 500 million people in the world. The recent increase in NASH thought to be linked to diabetes and high blood cholesterol, especially in children. We know there are key biomarkers in the blood which flag this condition. Within the next two years, the US Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve new drugs to treat this condition. But they are going to need smart biomedical devices to monitor the diagnosis. That’s why Bloonics has a window of opportunity to address a real market need. We intend to be ready.”

The name Bloonics is a reference to the blood and photonics, which is a clue as to how the device works. “We’re operating under the radar at the moment. The High Tech Campus soft-landing program has been very useful in connecting us with international patent specialists, as well as providing introductions to companies that can supply the technology and accelerate our time to market. We now have a clearer strategy on how to move forward.”