20 Clinical OMICs November/December 2017 www.clinicalomics.com
Malorye Allison Branca
Point–of–Care Testing
Revs Up
A host of new technologies and tests are
allowing faster diagnosis and improved
patient care across a range of conditions
I
t's a small, handheld, digital device that resembles a computer mouse but
can measure a range of biological markers, including circulating tumor DNA
(ctDNA) from blood and urine. Sounds a bit like science fiction, but in April
of this year, Two Pore Guys (2PG) raised $24 million to help further develop this
product, their Molecular Meter.
2PG's nanopore-based, single-molecule platform is one of a wave of next-gen-
eration technologies revolutionizing point-of-care (POC) testing. These new tech-
nologies extend the breadth of highly accurate tests that can be done anywhere a
patient receives care, including in their own home. Critically, most of these tests
automatically transmit data to a doctor 's office, a cloud-based
account, or wherever else the information is needed. That's
pivotal, because getting test results to the doctors, and making
sure the results are stored for future use, are typically hurdles
when testing is conducted in settings outside a central lab.
POC testing has long been central to providing fast diagno-
sis in the care setting, but there testing has not traditionally
broken significant new ground. Now, the field is rising from the shadows and
taking a more central role as the care settings offering these tests expands and the
focus on value-based care intensifies. The goal is cheaper, simpler more reliable
tests, as well as the ability to address more conditions with technology that can
provide accurate results in a wider range of settings. These factors are expected
to drive the POC market to almost $37 billion by 2021, according to Markets and
Markets. Omics-based tests will play a prominent role in that growth, accounting
for about 10% of that market. Growth will be particularly high for omics-based
"In 2017 there is no reason a
woman with a BRCA mutation
should die of breast or ovarian
cancer."—Jill Hagenkord,
CMO, Color Geomics