Is private funding still DIY?
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Bryan Bishop
Sep 20, 2012, 2:09:20 PM9/20/12
to diybio, Bryan Bishop
http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/20/dutch-bio-hackers-mobilize-malaria-testing/
"Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
has three employees, and is privately funded."
Pieter, I dunno if I buy that as being DIY. I think it's great that
you have built a cheaper product, and that you're engaged with DIY.
But if a venture-backed company counts as DIY, doesn't that make all
the pharma techs and Big Bio also DIY? That wouldn't make sense to me.
"""
Amplino may be the ultimate garage project. Three DIY bio-hackers have
created a mobile malaria testing kit they claim can identify different
strains of malaria with higher accuracy than existing rapid diagnostic
tests.
The testing device is connected via Bluetooth to a mobile phone,
making it possible to track malaria outbreaks and the spread of
particular strains. The team just won 40,000 EUR ($52,000) in the
Vodafone Mobile for Good competition to further develop the kit.
Amplion’s young founders Jelmer Knossen, Wouter Bruins, and Pieter van
Boheemen have backgrounds in bio-informatics/mechanical engineering,
cell biology, and functional genomics respectively. The group became
fascinated by the DIYBio movement, which blends biology expertise with
electronics, software development, and open source principles.
Amplino’s team started to look at a technique called PCR, which copies
a segment of DNA billions of times so that it can be analyzed. PCR is
a well-established technique used in criminal DNA testing, disease
diagnosis, and even testing whether food is halal.
A $600 “Build it yourself” OpenPCR machine already existed. The team
decided to go one step further and develop a mobile device to do
real-time PCR plus diagnosis of malaria. When you add a DNA binding
dye to the multipled DNA mixture and shine light of a specific
wavelength on it, the mixture will emit light when the malaria
parasite is present.
In fact, the technology can detect any kind of pathogen, not just
malaria, depending on the selection of a chemical component called a
primer used in the device. A commercial real-time PCR setup can cost
up to $30,000. Amplino made one for $60.
Malaria is a massive problem in the developing world. WHO estimates
that up to 1 million people die each year from the disease, the
majority of which are children in sub-Saharan Africa. The main methods
of testing in the developing world are rapid diagnostic blood tests,
which look like a pregnancy test and can be easily used in the field,
and microscopy of a blood smear. The main measure of accuracy of a
malaria test is its sensitivity, in other words what percentage of
infected people are correctly identified. Other factors in assessing a
testing system include the number of false positives, storage life,
and whether refrigeration is required.
Rapid diagnostic tests are less sensitive than lab tests and cannot
identify different types of malaria. Microscopy is more accurate but
requires the samples to be sent to a laboratory where trained health
professionals review the blood samples. Incorrect diagnosis means that
the limited supply of malaria drugs is not allocated optimally.
Over-prescription can also lead to drug resistance. However, testing
at the point of care can still result in higher levels of correct
patient treatment than more accurate, but slower, lab testing.
Amplino’s test is more sensitive than rapid diagnostic tests but can
be used by non-medical staff for immediate diagnosis in the field. It
can also detect malaria in pregnant women. During pregnancy, a woman’s
immune system is suppressed, making her twice as likely to die from
malaria. The parasites that cause the disease can hide in the
placenta, making them much harder to detect.
Amplino estimates that the final mobile testing device will cost about
$250, while the cartridge required per test costs between 50 cents and
$1. Getting the device to market is still a long road. While the core
PCR technology being used is not new, all medical devices need to be
certified. This process, plus getting the prototype ready for
manufacturing, could cost up to 1.5 million EUR over the next few
years.
There are not many competing devices. InstantLabs makes a portable,
real-time PCR system, but the company seems to focus mainly on the
food safety industry. Lava Amp makes a $300 machine to run PCR but not
to diagnose a particular disease.
“Our ultimate goal would be to get money from the Gates foundation,”
said Bruins. ”We need strategic, not purely financial investors.” The
Vodafone prize will allow the team to produce a version of the
prototype that can be manufactured on a large scale (they estimate
this will take six months) and test it in the field in Burkina Faso.
Amplino is not seeking to patent the technology. “I actually have two
patents pending (for other technologies), ” Bruins explained. “But is
a patent really fit for our mission? Maybe we need to ditch the whole
patent approach.”
Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
has three employees, and is privately funded.
"""
- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
1 512 203 0507
"Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
has three employees, and is privately funded."
Pieter, I dunno if I buy that as being DIY. I think it's great that
you have built a cheaper product, and that you're engaged with DIY.
But if a venture-backed company counts as DIY, doesn't that make all
the pharma techs and Big Bio also DIY? That wouldn't make sense to me.
"""
Amplino may be the ultimate garage project. Three DIY bio-hackers have
created a mobile malaria testing kit they claim can identify different
strains of malaria with higher accuracy than existing rapid diagnostic
tests.
The testing device is connected via Bluetooth to a mobile phone,
making it possible to track malaria outbreaks and the spread of
particular strains. The team just won 40,000 EUR ($52,000) in the
Vodafone Mobile for Good competition to further develop the kit.
Amplion’s young founders Jelmer Knossen, Wouter Bruins, and Pieter van
Boheemen have backgrounds in bio-informatics/mechanical engineering,
cell biology, and functional genomics respectively. The group became
fascinated by the DIYBio movement, which blends biology expertise with
electronics, software development, and open source principles.
Amplino’s team started to look at a technique called PCR, which copies
a segment of DNA billions of times so that it can be analyzed. PCR is
a well-established technique used in criminal DNA testing, disease
diagnosis, and even testing whether food is halal.
A $600 “Build it yourself” OpenPCR machine already existed. The team
decided to go one step further and develop a mobile device to do
real-time PCR plus diagnosis of malaria. When you add a DNA binding
dye to the multipled DNA mixture and shine light of a specific
wavelength on it, the mixture will emit light when the malaria
parasite is present.
In fact, the technology can detect any kind of pathogen, not just
malaria, depending on the selection of a chemical component called a
primer used in the device. A commercial real-time PCR setup can cost
up to $30,000. Amplino made one for $60.
Malaria is a massive problem in the developing world. WHO estimates
that up to 1 million people die each year from the disease, the
majority of which are children in sub-Saharan Africa. The main methods
of testing in the developing world are rapid diagnostic blood tests,
which look like a pregnancy test and can be easily used in the field,
and microscopy of a blood smear. The main measure of accuracy of a
malaria test is its sensitivity, in other words what percentage of
infected people are correctly identified. Other factors in assessing a
testing system include the number of false positives, storage life,
and whether refrigeration is required.
Rapid diagnostic tests are less sensitive than lab tests and cannot
identify different types of malaria. Microscopy is more accurate but
requires the samples to be sent to a laboratory where trained health
professionals review the blood samples. Incorrect diagnosis means that
the limited supply of malaria drugs is not allocated optimally.
Over-prescription can also lead to drug resistance. However, testing
at the point of care can still result in higher levels of correct
patient treatment than more accurate, but slower, lab testing.
Amplino’s test is more sensitive than rapid diagnostic tests but can
be used by non-medical staff for immediate diagnosis in the field. It
can also detect malaria in pregnant women. During pregnancy, a woman’s
immune system is suppressed, making her twice as likely to die from
malaria. The parasites that cause the disease can hide in the
placenta, making them much harder to detect.
Amplino estimates that the final mobile testing device will cost about
$250, while the cartridge required per test costs between 50 cents and
$1. Getting the device to market is still a long road. While the core
PCR technology being used is not new, all medical devices need to be
certified. This process, plus getting the prototype ready for
manufacturing, could cost up to 1.5 million EUR over the next few
years.
There are not many competing devices. InstantLabs makes a portable,
real-time PCR system, but the company seems to focus mainly on the
food safety industry. Lava Amp makes a $300 machine to run PCR but not
to diagnose a particular disease.
“Our ultimate goal would be to get money from the Gates foundation,”
said Bruins. ”We need strategic, not purely financial investors.” The
Vodafone prize will allow the team to produce a version of the
prototype that can be manufactured on a large scale (they estimate
this will take six months) and test it in the field in Burkina Faso.
Amplino is not seeking to patent the technology. “I actually have two
patents pending (for other technologies), ” Bruins explained. “But is
a patent really fit for our mission? Maybe we need to ditch the whole
patent approach.”
Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
has three employees, and is privately funded.
"""
- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
1 512 203 0507
Nathan McCorkle
Sep 20, 2012, 2:33:46 PM9/20/12
to diy...@googlegroups.com
If they actually made a qPCR (I avoid using the rtPCR acronym because
of reverse transcription PCR) machine for $60 one-off, it's DIY... if
they're commercializing to make then for $6 then that is not DIY. Call
it DIT (do it together) or something. A single person could build a
wooden raft to get across a river, but he could never build a bridge
to support city automobile traffic. Now I wonder if Pieter and company
are going for bridge building, or selling individual rafts.
> --
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--
Nathan McCorkle
Rochester Institute of Technology
College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics
of reverse transcription PCR) machine for $60 one-off, it's DIY... if
they're commercializing to make then for $6 then that is not DIY. Call
it DIT (do it together) or something. A single person could build a
wooden raft to get across a river, but he could never build a bridge
to support city automobile traffic. Now I wonder if Pieter and company
are going for bridge building, or selling individual rafts.
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DIYbio" group.
> To post to this group, send email to diy...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to diybio+un...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>
>
--
Nathan McCorkle
Rochester Institute of Technology
College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics
Jelmer Cnossen
Sep 20, 2012, 7:17:57 PM9/20/12
to diy...@googlegroups.com
Hi all,
Cool to see the article being picked up so quickly!
She asked if it was privately funded, so we replied that we put in our own 500 bucks. It's still private funding though :)
We aim to commercialise it for the purpose of making a robust device that can work in local conditions in Burkina Faso (or other malaria endemic areas). Also in larger quantities, so at that point I agree it is no longer DIY.
kind regards,
Jelmer Cnossen
Pieter
Sep 21, 2012, 3:15:20 AM9/21/12
to diy...@googlegroups.com
Funny how paying for our own pizza, beer and arduino turns into "privately funded".
Michael Turner
Sep 21, 2012, 3:32:16 AM9/21/12
to diy...@googlegroups.com
On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 4:15 PM, Pieter <pieterva...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Funny how paying for our own pizza, beer and arduino turns into "privately
> funded".
"Self-financed" can sound cheap. Sometimes you don't want to say that
> Funny how paying for our own pizza, beer and arduino turns into "privately
> funded".
even if it IS cheap. Many crowdfunding initiatives aim at eventual
conventional financing. It might be a while before having established
an initial customer base through crowdfunding is considered a mark of
unusual merit, to mainstream investors. I think it should be,
actually.
Regards,
Michael Turner
Project Persephone
1-25-33 Takadanobaba
Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 169-0075
(+81) 90-5203-8682
tur...@projectpersephone.org
http://www.projectpersephone.org/
"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward
together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/diybio/-/65wj9837EBIJ.
Bryan Bishop
Sep 21, 2012, 3:40:47 AM9/21/12
to diy...@googlegroups.com, Bryan Bishop
On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 2:32 AM, Michael Turner
<michael.eu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> "Self-financed" can sound cheap. Sometimes you don't want to say that
> even if it IS cheap.
Definitely. But in the context of venturebeat.com, it's sort of
<michael.eu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> "Self-financed" can sound cheap. Sometimes you don't want to say that
> even if it IS cheap.
obvious which way a journalist is implying it. That's all. BTW, I
wasn't trying to imply that a company couldn't sell products to a
non-institutional market and not call that product DIY. There's
definitely people willing to not buy ebay-cyclers.
Cathal Garvey
Sep 21, 2012, 10:33:59 AM9/21/12
to diy...@googlegroups.com
Glad to hear (though I never doubted) that you guys are gonna stick with
the hacker ethic and forego patents. :)
I was debating this at PICNIC with our Infectious Diseases expert,
saying that one of the big "sells" of something like Amplino is not only
the good that can be done through foreign aid, but the fact that someone
in an affected region could *make their own* if they needed to. That, to
me, is one of the most important parts of the open-source biology movement.
Congratulations on your big win! Can't wait to see where you go with it
from here. I'm personally hoping it continues to be built into shoeboxes
for a while longer! ;)
On 21/09/12 08:15, Pieter wrote:
> Funny how paying for our own pizza, beer and arduino turns into "privately
> funded".
>
> On Friday, 21 September 2012 01:18:22 UTC+2, Jelmer Cnossen wrote:
>>
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Cool to see the article being picked up so quickly!
>> She asked if it was privately funded, so we replied that we put in our own
>> 500 bucks. It's still private funding though :)
>> We aim to commercialise it for the purpose of making a robust device that
>> can work in local conditions in Burkina Faso (or other malaria endemic
>> areas). Also in larger quantities, so at that point I agree it is no longer
>> DIY.
>>
>> kind regards,
>> Jelmer Cnossen
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 8:33 PM, Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com<javascript:>
>>>> Amplino�s test is more sensitive than rapid diagnostic tests but can
>>>> said Bruins. �We need strategic, not purely financial investors.� The
>>>> patents pending (for other technologies), � Bruins explained. �But is
>>> .
>>> .
www.indiebiotech.com
twitter.com/onetruecathal
joindiaspora.com/u/cathalgarvey
PGP Public Key: http://bit.ly/CathalGKey
the hacker ethic and forego patents. :)
I was debating this at PICNIC with our Infectious Diseases expert,
saying that one of the big "sells" of something like Amplino is not only
the good that can be done through foreign aid, but the fact that someone
in an affected region could *make their own* if they needed to. That, to
me, is one of the most important parts of the open-source biology movement.
Congratulations on your big win! Can't wait to see where you go with it
from here. I'm personally hoping it continues to be built into shoeboxes
for a while longer! ;)
On 21/09/12 08:15, Pieter wrote:
> Funny how paying for our own pizza, beer and arduino turns into "privately
> funded".
>
> On Friday, 21 September 2012 01:18:22 UTC+2, Jelmer Cnossen wrote:
>>
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Cool to see the article being picked up so quickly!
>> She asked if it was privately funded, so we replied that we put in our own
>> 500 bucks. It's still private funding though :)
>> We aim to commercialise it for the purpose of making a robust device that
>> can work in local conditions in Burkina Faso (or other malaria endemic
>> areas). Also in larger quantities, so at that point I agree it is no longer
>> DIY.
>>
>> kind regards,
>> Jelmer Cnossen
>>
>>
>>> wrote:
>>
>>> If they actually made a qPCR (I avoid using the rtPCR acronym because
>>> of reverse transcription PCR) machine for $60 one-off, it's DIY... if
>>> they're commercializing to make then for $6 then that is not DIY. Call
>>> it DIT (do it together) or something. A single person could build a
>>> wooden raft to get across a river, but he could never build a bridge
>>> to support city automobile traffic. Now I wonder if Pieter and company
>>> are going for bridge building, or selling individual rafts.
>>>
>>> On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 2:09 PM, Bryan Bishop <kan...@gmail.com<javascript:>>
>>
>>> If they actually made a qPCR (I avoid using the rtPCR acronym because
>>> of reverse transcription PCR) machine for $60 one-off, it's DIY... if
>>> they're commercializing to make then for $6 then that is not DIY. Call
>>> it DIT (do it together) or something. A single person could build a
>>> wooden raft to get across a river, but he could never build a bridge
>>> to support city automobile traffic. Now I wonder if Pieter and company
>>> are going for bridge building, or selling individual rafts.
>>>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>> http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/20/dutch-bio-hackers-mobilize-malaria-testing/
>>>>
>>>> "Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
>>>> has three employees, and is privately funded."
>>>>
>>>> Pieter, I dunno if I buy that as being DIY. I think it's great that
>>>> you have built a cheaper product, and that you're engaged with DIY.
>>>> But if a venture-backed company counts as DIY, doesn't that make all
>>>> the pharma techs and Big Bio also DIY? That wouldn't make sense to me.
>>>>
>>>> """
>>>> Amplino may be the ultimate garage project. Three DIY bio-hackers have
>>>> created a mobile malaria testing kit they claim can identify different
>>>> strains of malaria with higher accuracy than existing rapid diagnostic
>>>> tests.
>>>>
>>>> The testing device is connected via Bluetooth to a mobile phone,
>>>> making it possible to track malaria outbreaks and the spread of
>>>> particular strains. The team just won 40,000 EUR ($52,000) in the
>>>> Vodafone Mobile for Good competition to further develop the kit.
>>>>
>>>> Amplion�s young founders Jelmer Knossen, Wouter Bruins, and Pieter van
>>>>
>>> http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/20/dutch-bio-hackers-mobilize-malaria-testing/
>>>>
>>>> "Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
>>>> has three employees, and is privately funded."
>>>>
>>>> Pieter, I dunno if I buy that as being DIY. I think it's great that
>>>> you have built a cheaper product, and that you're engaged with DIY.
>>>> But if a venture-backed company counts as DIY, doesn't that make all
>>>> the pharma techs and Big Bio also DIY? That wouldn't make sense to me.
>>>>
>>>> """
>>>> Amplino may be the ultimate garage project. Three DIY bio-hackers have
>>>> created a mobile malaria testing kit they claim can identify different
>>>> strains of malaria with higher accuracy than existing rapid diagnostic
>>>> tests.
>>>>
>>>> The testing device is connected via Bluetooth to a mobile phone,
>>>> making it possible to track malaria outbreaks and the spread of
>>>> particular strains. The team just won 40,000 EUR ($52,000) in the
>>>> Vodafone Mobile for Good competition to further develop the kit.
>>>>
>>>> Boheemen have backgrounds in bio-informatics/mechanical engineering,
>>>> cell biology, and functional genomics respectively. The group became
>>>> fascinated by the DIYBio movement, which blends biology expertise with
>>>> electronics, software development, and open source principles.
>>>> Amplino�s team started to look at a technique called PCR, which copies
>>>> cell biology, and functional genomics respectively. The group became
>>>> fascinated by the DIYBio movement, which blends biology expertise with
>>>> electronics, software development, and open source principles.
>>>> a segment of DNA billions of times so that it can be analyzed. PCR is
>>>> a well-established technique used in criminal DNA testing, disease
>>>> diagnosis, and even testing whether food is halal.
>>>>
>>>> A $600 �Build it yourself� OpenPCR machine already existed. The team
>>>> a well-established technique used in criminal DNA testing, disease
>>>> diagnosis, and even testing whether food is halal.
>>>>
>>>> be used by non-medical staff for immediate diagnosis in the field. It
>>>> can also detect malaria in pregnant women. During pregnancy, a woman�s
>>>> immune system is suppressed, making her twice as likely to die from
>>>> malaria. The parasites that cause the disease can hide in the
>>>> placenta, making them much harder to detect.
>>>>
>>>> Amplino estimates that the final mobile testing device will cost about
>>>> $250, while the cartridge required per test costs between 50 cents and
>>>> $1. Getting the device to market is still a long road. While the core
>>>> PCR technology being used is not new, all medical devices need to be
>>>> certified. This process, plus getting the prototype ready for
>>>> manufacturing, could cost up to 1.5 million EUR over the next few
>>>> years.
>>>>
>>>> There are not many competing devices. InstantLabs makes a portable,
>>>> real-time PCR system, but the company seems to focus mainly on the
>>>> food safety industry. Lava Amp makes a $300 machine to run PCR but not
>>>> to diagnose a particular disease.
>>>>
>>>> �Our ultimate goal would be to get money from the Gates foundation,�
>>>> malaria. The parasites that cause the disease can hide in the
>>>> placenta, making them much harder to detect.
>>>>
>>>> Amplino estimates that the final mobile testing device will cost about
>>>> $250, while the cartridge required per test costs between 50 cents and
>>>> $1. Getting the device to market is still a long road. While the core
>>>> PCR technology being used is not new, all medical devices need to be
>>>> certified. This process, plus getting the prototype ready for
>>>> manufacturing, could cost up to 1.5 million EUR over the next few
>>>> years.
>>>>
>>>> There are not many competing devices. InstantLabs makes a portable,
>>>> real-time PCR system, but the company seems to focus mainly on the
>>>> food safety industry. Lava Amp makes a $300 machine to run PCR but not
>>>> to diagnose a particular disease.
>>>>
>>>> said Bruins. �We need strategic, not purely financial investors.� The
>>>> Vodafone prize will allow the team to produce a version of the
>>>> prototype that can be manufactured on a large scale (they estimate
>>>> this will take six months) and test it in the field in Burkina Faso.
>>>>
>>>> Amplino is not seeking to patent the technology. �I actually have two
>>>> prototype that can be manufactured on a large scale (they estimate
>>>> this will take six months) and test it in the field in Burkina Faso.
>>>>
>>>> patents pending (for other technologies), � Bruins explained. �But is
>>>> a patent really fit for our mission? Maybe we need to ditch the whole
>>>> patent approach.�
>>>>
>>>> Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
>>>> has three employees, and is privately funded.
>>>> """
>>>>
>>>> - Bryan
>>>> http://heybryan.org/
>>>> 1 512 203 0507
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "DIYbio" group.
>>>> To post to this group, send email to diy...@googlegroups.com<javascript:>
>>>> Amplino was founded in 2012, is based in Leiden in the Netherlands,
>>>> has three employees, and is privately funded.
>>>> """
>>>>
>>>> - Bryan
>>>> http://heybryan.org/
>>>> 1 512 203 0507
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "DIYbio" group.
>>> .
>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
>>> diybio+un...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>.
>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Nathan McCorkle
>>> Rochester Institute of Technology
>>> College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics
>>>
>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>>> "DIYbio" group.
>>> To post to this group, send email to diy...@googlegroups.com<javascript:>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Nathan McCorkle
>>> Rochester Institute of Technology
>>> College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics
>>>
>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>>> "DIYbio" group.
>>> .
>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
>>> diybio+un...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>.
www.indiebiotech.com
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