Capitainer®B was developed as a response to the need for home blood sampling technology. Capitainer®B is a portable, affordable, cost-effective and easy-to-use microsampling system which enables the patient to take a quantitative dried blood spot samples (DBS) by themselves. The samples can then be shipped to laboratories via regular mail for further analysis. The present SME Phase 1 study has confirmed the technical and market feasibility of Capitainer®B. Our prototypes have proven to be robust and attracted the interest of Key Opinion Leaders, end-users and potential customers. However, the key finding of this study was the need for a plasma sampling counterpart to Capitainer®B. While Capitainer®B enables the remote monitoring of immunosuppressive drugs’ levels – a crucial component of post-transplant care— it doesn’t cover all the analyses necessary to ensure transplant success. Many crucial laboratory tests require plasma, rather than blood, and in order to obtain plasma from a blood sample and prepare it for subsequent analysis, the patient must be present at a healthcare facility. Thus, to truly ease the burden on patients and the healthcare system a combined blood and plasma remote sampling solution is required. This finding is the driving force behind the development of Capitainer®P – an autonomous home plasma sampling device that filters and stores an exact amount of plasma as a dried plasma spot (DPS). The combination of Capitainer®P and Capitainer®B offers a unique value proposition. To date, no player has demonstrated a technology capable of collecting both blood and plasma in a home-environment to an extent that allows for the performance of all critical analytical chemistry tests. The findings of this SME Phase 1 study provide the ground for a forthcoming EIC Accelerator project. In that project, we will develop, validate, and implement assays for immunosuppressants on Capitainer®B and the most commonly monitored organ function markers on Capitainer®P. This will allow home sampling for liver- and kidney transplant patients for the first time ever.
