If John Carrano has his way, the technology he has been developing at Texas State University’s advanced research incubator will be available in doctor’s offices and clinics throughout the nation in the next few years.
Carrano, CEO of Paratus Diagnostics, has been working since June 2015 on a device that can quickly diagnose a variety of health issues through a process known as “multiplex testing.” The company is located at Texas State’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research, or STAR, Park in San Marcos.
Most diagnostic tests are capable of testing for one disease at a time. Paratus Diagnostics’ technology can test for multiple issues—influenza, the H1N1 virus and others—with a single mouth swab. The entire diagnostic process from collecting the swab to identifying the issue will take about 20-30 minutes, Carrano said.
Carrano said the technology could improve the speed of testing—which can often take days to be processed by centralized diagnostics labs—potentially reducing unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics, saving customers money on inaccurate diagnoses and better informing the patient of his or her health.
“That’s the key goal of our technology: to inform clinical decision-making at the time of the patient visit,” Carrano said. “Because now I don’t waste money on a repeat visit. I don’t waste money on a wrong prescription. I also don’t endanger the individual by giving them an incorrect prescription.”
One of the keys to the company’s process is its novel use of smartphone technology, Carrano said. The company’s adapter attaches to a smartphone and, after a medical professional such as a nurse or physician assistant has inserted the swab into the device, it is flipped over. The gyroscope within the phone detects that it has been turned over and activates a series of actions that lead to the swab being exposed to fluids that will react with the swab sample. The phone's camera is then used as a spectrometer in concert with a lens attached to the Paratus adapter. The camera and lens analyze how the fluids react with the swab, and through proprietary software and algorithms, the device detects the presence of bacteria, viruses or other health issues.
“We’re not doing some gimmicky thing,” Carrano said. “We’re using the couple of billion dollars of R&D that has been put into this phone in a clever way.”
The company, which employs 16 people, is preparing to launch its first product, a device that will test for six types of periodontal bacteria whose concentration can indicate a risk for periodontitis, heart disease and other issues. Carrano said he anticipates the product will be released in 2019.
“For this periodontal product, we see it as something that could not only help substantially with oral health, but [it] could mitigate chronic disease,” Carrano said. “If you look at the numbers, chronic disease accounts for the overwhelming majority of expenses in health care.”
