Kuthiwani uma unganikela ngegazi ekhaya esikhundleni sokunikela kudokotela?Lokho kuyisisekelo se-Tasso, isiqalo esizinze e-Seattle esigibele igagasi lokunakekelwa kwezempilo okubonakalayo.
Umsunguli we-Tasso kanye ne-CEO u-Ben Casavant utshele i-Forbes ukuthi inkampani isanda kukhulisa amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-100 eholwa ngumphathi wokutshalwa kwezimali kwezokunakekelwa kwempilo i-RA Capital ukuthuthukisa ubuchwepheshe bayo bokusampula igazi.Uxhaso olusha lwenyusile isamba sokutshalwa kwezimali kwezabelo ku-$131 million.I-Casavant yenqabile ukuxoxa ngenani lentengo, yize isizindalwazi se-PitchBook semali eyibhizinisi sibize amaRandi ayizigidi ezingama-51 ngoJulayi 2020.
"Lesi yindawo emangalisayo engacekelwa phansi ngokushesha," kusho uCasavant."AmaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-100 ayazikhulumela."
Izinsiza zokuqoqa igazi zenkampani—i-Tasso+ (yegazi eliwuketshezi), i-Tasso-M20 (yegazi elincishisiwe) kanye ne-Tasso-SST (yokulungiselela amasampula egazi eliwuketshezi elinganqandeki-anti-anticoagulated)—sebenza ngendlela efanayo.Iziguli zimane zinamathisele idivayisi yenkinobho yosayizi webhola ye-ping-pong esandleni sazo nge-adhesive engasindi bese zicindezela inkinobho enkulu ebomvu yedivayisi, edala isikhala.I-lancet kudivayisi ibhoboza ingaphezulu lesikhumba, futhi i-vacuum idonsa igazi kuma-capillary iliyise ku-cartridge yesampula ezansi kwedivayisi.
Idivayisi iqoqa kuphela igazi le-capillary, elilingana nokuhlaba ngomunwe, hhayi igazi le-venous, elingaqoqwa kuphela uchwepheshe wezokwelapha.Ngokusho kwenkampani, abahlanganyeli ezifundweni zomtholampilo babike ubuhlungu obuncane lapho besebenzisa idivayisi uma kuqhathaniswa nokudonsa kwegazi okujwayelekile.Inkampani inethemba lokuthola imvume ye-FDA njengethuluzi lezokwelapha le-Class II ngonyaka ozayo.
"Singakwazi ukuvakashela udokotela cishe, kodwa uma kufanele ungene futhi uthole izivivinyo zokuxilonga, iveli liyaphuka," kusho u-Anurag Kondapally, inhloko ye-RA Capital, ozojoyina ibhodi labaqondisi beTasso.bahlanganyele kangcono uhlelo lwezempilo futhi ngethemba ukuthi luthuthukisa ukulingana nemiphumela.”
UCasawant, 34, uneziqu zePh.D.UW-Madison biomedical engineering major wasungula inkampani ngo-2012 nozakwabo waselebhu yase-UW u-Erwin Berthier, 38, oyi-CTO yenkampani.Elabhorethri yaseNyuvesi yaseWashington eMadison uprofesa uDavid Beebe, bafunde i-microfluidics, ephathelene nokuziphatha nokulawula amanani amancane kakhulu oketshezi kunethiwekhi yamashaneli.
Elebhu, baqala ukucabanga ngabo bonke ubuchwepheshe obusha obungenziwa ilebhu obudinga amasampula egazi kanye nokuthi kunzima kangakanani ukuwathola.Ukuya emtholampilo uyonikela ngegazi kudokotela we-phlebotomist noma umhlengikazi obhalisiwe kuyabiza futhi akulula, futhi ukuhlaba iminwe kunzima futhi akuthembeki.“Cabanga ngezwe lapho esikhundleni sokugxumela emotweni bese ushayela endaweni ethile, kuvela ibhokisi emnyango wakho futhi ungathumela imiphumela emuva kurekhodi lakho lezempilo le-elektroniki,” esho.“Sathi, 'Kungaba kuhle uma singenza idivayisi isebenze.'
“Baqhamuke nesixazululo sezobuchwepheshe futhi bekuhlakaniphe impela.Ziningi ezinye izinkampani ezizama ukwenza lokhu, kodwa azikwazanga ukuqhamuka nesixazululo sezobuchwepheshe.”
U-Casavant no-Berthier basebenze kusihlwa nangezimpelaviki ukuze bathuthukise lolu cingo, okokuqala besendlini yokuphumula ka-Casavan kwase kuba segumbini lokuphumula lika-Berthier ngemva kokuba lowo ohlala naye e-Casavan ebacele ukuba bahlale.Ngo-2017, baqhuba inkampani nge-accelerator egxile kwezokunakekelwa kwezempilo i-Techstars futhi bathola uxhaso lwangaphambi kwesikhathi ngendlela yesibonelelo sika-$2.9 million esivela ku-federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).Abatshalizimali bayo bahlanganisa i-Cedars-Sinai kanye ne-Merck Global Innovation Fund, kanye namafemu emali yebhizinisi i-Hambrecht Ducera, i-Foresite Capital kanye ne-Vertical Venture Partners.I-Casavant ikholelwa ukuthi uhlole umkhiqizo izikhathi ezingamakhulu phakathi nokuthuthukiswa kwawo.“Ngithanda ukwazi kahle umkhiqizo,” esho.
Lapho uJim Tananbaum, udokotela kanye nomsunguli we-Foresite Capital yempahla eyizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezine, ekhubeka kuCasavant eminyakeni emithathu edlule, wathi ufuna inkampani engenza i-phlebotomy noma kuphi.“Lena yinkinga enzima kakhulu,” esho.
Ubunzima, echaza, buwukuthi lapho udonsa igazi nge-capillary, umfutho ugqashula amangqamuzana abomvu egazi, awenze angakwazi ukusetshenziswa.“Baqhamuke nesixazululo esihlakaniphile sobuchwepheshe,” esho.“Ziningi ezinye izinkampani ezizama ukwenza lokhu kodwa azikwazanga ukuqhamuka nesixazululo sezobuchwepheshe.”
Kwabaningi, imikhiqizo edonsa igazi ngokushesha ibakhumbuza uTheranos, owathembisa ukuhlola igazi lenaliti ngaphambi kokuphahlazeka kwayo ngo-2018. Umsunguli ohlazekile oneminyaka engu-37 ubudala u-Elizabeth Holmes uquliswa icala lokukhwabanisa futhi ubhekene neminyaka engu-20 ejele. uma iphulwa.
Vele ucindezele inkinobho enkulu ebomvu: idivayisi ye-Tasso ivumela iziguli ukuthi zithathe igazi ekhaya, ngaphandle kokuqeqeshwa kwezokwelapha.
“Bekumnandi ukulandela indaba, njengoba sasinjalo,” kusho uCasavant.“SinoTasso, sihlala sigxile kwezesayensi.Konke kumayelana nemiphumela yokuxilonga, ukunemba nokunemba.”
Imikhiqizo yokuqoqwa kwegazi kaTasso njengamanje isetshenziswa ezinhlolweni zokwelashwa ezahlukahlukene ePfizer, Eli Lilly, Merck kanye nezinkampani okungenani eziyisithupha ze-biopharmaceutical, esho.Ngonyaka odlule, i-Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center yethula ucwaningo lwe-Covid-19 lokutadisha amazinga okutheleleka, isikhathi sokutheleleka, kanye nokutheleleka okungenzeka kabusha kusetshenziswa ithuluzi lokudonsa igazi le-Tasso."Amaqembu amaningi afisa ukwenza izivivinyo ngesikhathi sobhubhane adinga indlela engcono yokufinyelela ezigulini," kusho uCasavant.
U-Tananbaum, owayesohlwini lwe-Forbes Midas kulo nyaka, ukholelwa ukuthi i-Tasso ekugcineni izokwazi ukukala ifinyelele kumakhulu ezigidi zamayunithi ngonyaka njengoba izindleko zedivayisi zehla nezinhlelo zokusebenza zengezwa.“Aqala ngamacala anesidingo esiphezulu nenzuzo ephezulu,” usho kanje.
I-Tasso ihlela ukusebenzisa izimali ezintsha ukwandisa umkhiqizo.Ngesikhathi sobhubhane, yathenga isitshalo eSeattle esasihlinzeka ngezikebhe phambilini eWest Marine, sivumela inkampani ukuthi ivale ukukhiqiza emahhovisi ayo.Isikhala sinomthamo omkhulu wamadivayisi angu-150,000 ngenyanga, noma izigidi ezingu-1.8 ngonyaka.
"Uma kubhekwa umthamo wegazi elidonsa kanye nokuhlolwa kwegazi e-US, sizodinga indawo eyengeziwe," kusho uCasavant.Ulinganisela ukuthi cishe kudonswa igazi eliyizigidi eziyinkulungwane unyaka ngamunye e-United States, lapho izindawo zokucwaninga zenza ukuhlola okulinganiselwa ezigidini eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-10, eziningi zazo ezisiza ukwelapha izifo ezingamahlalakhona kubantu asebekhulile.“Sibheka izinga esilidingayo nokuthi singalakha kanjani leli bhizinisi,” usho kanje.
I-RA Capital ingesinye sabatshalizimali abakhulu bezokunakekelwa kwempilo abanezigidigidi ezingama- $9.4 ngaphansi kokuphathwa njengoba kuphela kuka-Okthoba.