Project summary
HIV self-test product to increase access to and frequency of HIV testing.
What is the issue?
Atomo Diagnostics is a leading innovator in the point-of-care test (POCT) market. The company is focused on addressing unmet user needs in diagnostics and delivers solutions that materially improve usability, accuracy and safety for both professional and self-test users.
Atomo’s first product to market, AtomoRapid HIV, was launched in 2014 in Southern Africa. AtomoRapid HIV was developed to significantly reduce diagnostic errors common with existing ‘bits in a box’ HIV test kits used in the field.
What does the technology aim to do?
The AtomoRapid platform integrates standard test kit components into an all-in-one convenient device that is easy to use and simplifies user steps. AtomoRapid materially improves the usability of rapid diagnostic tests and addresses common user errors that are known to lead to excessive misdiagnosis. This is particularly important in resource limited settings and developing countries where rapid diagnostic tests are relied upon for both screening and confirming HIV infection. Since launch of solutions for HIV and malaria, the AtomoRapid platform has also been selected by a leading UK based diagnostics company for launch of a rapid Ebola test that also utilises the UK MOD’s Ebola reagents
Atomo and its technology have been disruptive to the POCT industry, with both the company and technology receiving numerous awards including ‘Best in Show’ at the 2014 Medical Design Excellence Awards in New York as well as receiving the Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s Australian Emerging Company of the Year 2014.
As well as improving diagnostics in clinical settings, Atomo is now working on commercialising self-test products for a range of consumer applications. In particular, Atomo is focused on launching an HIV self-test product to increase access to and frequency of HIV testing. Self-testing for HIV is set to play an increasingly important role in reducing transmission rates and achieving global goals in improving HIV diagnosis and treatment. This is an area where ease of use, safety and reliability are critical.
Milestones