HEALTH TECH
SHIV GAGLANI
Genetic Testing…
On Your Smartphone?
I
n this column we’ve covered the growing field of
mobile health (mHealth), including the development of smartphone-enabled stethoscopes and
ultrasounds. Researchers and companies continue
to push the limits of mHealth, and this month’s
profiled device is no exception. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Biomeme promises to bring genetic testing to the bedside, and field, through intuitive and
cost-effective smartphone-based polymerase chain
reaction (PCR). We had the opportunity to speak
with their co-founder, Max Perelman, shortly after
he got back from meeting with one of Biomeme’s
more famous investors: Mark Cuban.
What is Biomeme?
Biomeme is a handheld mobile platform for fast,
easy-to-use, real-time PCR testing. Our end-to-end
kits for DNA and RNA detection require no special
lab equipment, like pipettes, a centrifuge, or vortexer. Users can collect and process a sample in one
minute using our lab-free nucleic acid extraction
technologies, test it in our smartphone-based thermocycler, and then further analyze the results in
our web portal or integrate the data into your EMRs
via our application programming interface (API).
Our vision is to enable gold-standard lab tests on
the spot, so that clinicians and patients no longer
have to wait days or weeks for vital lab results.
How did you come up with the idea behind
Biomeme?
My co-founders, Marc DeJohn and Jesse van Westrienen, met at a previous biotech startup, where
they saw firsthand seeds of an upcoming mobile
health revolution. Together we shared an interest
in personalized health, and empowering laypeople
with the same technological capabilities as a central
lab. Notably, Jesse contracted malaria and Dengue
fever simultaneously while traveling in Southeast
Asia, and was hospitalized when local clinicians
lacked the technology to diagnose him.
Marc and Jesse began prototyping an iPhonebased thermocycler out of Jesse’s grandmother’s
basement in New Mexico. The first Biomeme device
was actually made out of parts of a travel hairdryer. That prototype was enough to convince Jared
Tarbell, Etsy co-founder, to give the team its first
48 CardioSource WorldNews
The Biomeme device (pictured with an iPhone). Courtesy: Biomeme
angel investment. Shortly thereafter, in April 2013,
we moved to Philadelphia to be part of DreamIt
Ventures’ inaugural DreamIt Health accelerator.
Is this something clinicians would be using?
We’ve heard from many clinicians that our tech
could make a huge difference at the point of care.
Our platform provides clinicians with the ability to
do any real-time PCR test at the bedside or in the
exam room, from genetic SNP panels to disease
diagnostics. That trend towards rapid, decentralized, patient-centered, and personalized care is
what led us to our first test, a panel for sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) chlamydia, gonorrhea,
and trichomonas. We’re validating our STI panel
in an IRB-approved study with the women’s health
clinic at Drexel Medicine in Philadelphia.
Can you discuss any cardio-specific applications?
Cardiologists and transplant surgeons have expressed interest in a rapid bedside test for genetic
markers that might indicate pharmacogenomic
treatment course or transplant rejection risk. We’ve
also heard interest in diagnostic tests for various
pathogens. Beyond that, cardio is a field we know
comparatively little about—we would love to hear
from anyone seeking to add point-of-care testing to
their practice ([email protected]).
You have Mark Cuban on board as an investor.
How did he find out about you all?
We connected on Angel List about 2 years ago,
during our seed investment round. He’s been a
great advisor and resource along the way—but it
was only at November’s Mavericks vs. 76ers game
that we met in person!
Where do you see the company in 5 years?
15 years?
In 5 years? Biomeme’s tools have created the ability
for community-focused primary care clinics around
the globe, personalized medicine practitioners, and
time-sensitive tertiary care providers to provide
patients with immediate results.
In 15 years? Biomeme’s tools have expanded
beyond PCR machines into biomarker detectors and
more. Following a trend in consumer health, telemedicine and personalized care, patients are the primary users, sharing their real-time information with
clinicians who act more like coaches or mentors. ■
Shiv Gaglani is an MD/MBA candidate at the Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine and Harvard Business School.
He writes about trends in medicine and technology and
has had his work published in Medgadget, The Atlantic,
and Emergency Physicians Monthly.
December 2015