Kuthekani ukuba unokunikela ngegazi ekhaya endaweni yokunikela ngegazi kwagqirha?Leyo yimeko yeTasso, isiqalo esekwe eSeattle ekhwele igagasi lezempilo.
I-Tasso-co-founder kunye ne-CEO u-Ben Casavant uxelele i-Forbes ukuba inkampani isanda kuphakamisa i-100 yezigidi zeedola ekhokelwa ngumphathi wotyalo-mali lwezempilo i-RA Capital ukuphuhlisa iteknoloji yesampula yegazi.Inkxaso-mali entsha inyuse utyalo-mali olulinganayo lwaya kutsho kwi-131 lezigidi zeedola.I-Casavant yalile ukuxoxa ngoqingqo-maxabiso, nangona i-database ye-PitchBook ye-venture ye-venture yayixabisa i-51 yezigidi zeedola ngoJulayi ka-2020.
“Le yindawo engakholelekiyo enokutshatyalaliswa ngokukhawuleza,” utshilo uCasavant."I-100 yezigidi zeedola iyathetha ngokwayo."
Iikiti zokuqokelela igazi zenkampani-i-Tasso + (yegazi le-liquid), i-Tasso-M20 (yegazi le-desiccated) kunye ne-Tasso-SST (yokulungiselela iisampulu zegazi ze-non-anticoagulated) -sebenza ngendlela efanayo.Izigulana zimane zincamathelisa isixhobo seqhosha elilingana nebhola yeping-pong esandleni sazo ngesincamathelisi esikhaphukhaphu kwaye sicinezele iqhosha elibomvu lesixhobo, elenza ivacuum.I-lancet kwisixhobo igqobhoza ubuso bolusu, kwaye i-vacuum itsala igazi kwi-capillaries kwi-cartridge yesampuli esezantsi kwesixhobo.
Isixhobo siqokelela kuphela igazi le-capillary, elilingana ne-finger prick, kwaye kungekhona igazi le-venous, elinokuthi liqokelelwe kuphela ngugqirha wezonyango.Ngokutsho kwenkampani, abathathi-nxaxheba kwizifundo zeklinikhi bachaze intlungu engaphantsi xa besebenzisa isixhobo xa kuthelekiswa nokutsalwa kwegazi eliqhelekileyo.Inkampani inethemba lokufumana imvume ye-FDA njengesixhobo sonyango sodidi lwesibini kunyaka ozayo.
“Singamndwendwela ugqirha phantse, kodwa xa kufuneka ungene kwaye ufumane uvavanyo olusisiseko, ikhuselo liyaqhawuka,” utshilo u-Anurag Kondapally, intloko ye-RA Capital, oza kujoyina ibhodi yabalawuli beTasso.Zibandakanye ngcono inkqubo yezempilo kwaye sinethemba lokuphucula ubulungisa kunye neziphumo. "
UCasawant, 34, unePh.D.UW-Madison biomedical engineering enkulu yaseka inkampani ngo-2012 kunye nogxa wase-UW lab u-Erwin Berthier, 38, oyi-CTO yenkampani.Kwilabhoratri yeYunivesithi yaseWashington eMadison unjingalwazi uDavid Beebe, bafunda i-microfluidics, ejongene nokuziphatha kunye nolawulo lweemali ezincinci zolwelo kuthungelwano lwemijelo.
Kwilebhu, baqala ukucinga ngazo zonke iitekhnoloji ezintsha ezinokwenziwa yilebhu ezifuna iisampulu zegazi kunye nokuba kunzima kangakanani ukuzifumana.Ukuya ekliniki ukuya kunikela ngegazi kwi-phlebotomist okanye umongikazi obhalisiweyo kubiza imali eninzi kwaye akuncedi, kwaye ukuhlaba iminwe kunzima kwaye akuthembeki."Khawufane ucinge ngehlabathi apho endaweni yokutsiba emotweni kwaye uqhube kwindawo ethile, kuvela ibhokisi emnyango wakho kwaye ungathumela iziphumo kwirekhodi yakho yezempilo ye-elektroniki," utshilo.Sathi, 'Kungakuhle ukuba besinokwenza isixhobo sisebenze.'
“Baze nesisombululo sobugcisa kwaye yayibubulumko ngokwenene.Zininzi ezinye iinkampani ezizama ukwenza oku, kodwa azikhange zikwazi ukuza nesisombululo sobugcisa.”
UCasavant noBerthier basebenze ngeengokuhlwa nangeempelaveki ukuphuhlisa esi sixhobo, okokuqala kwigumbi lokuhlala eCasavan emva koko kwigumbi lokuhlala likaBerthier emva kokuba umntu owayehlala naye eCasavan ebacele ukuba bahlale.Kwi-2017, baqhubela inkampani nge-accelerator egxininise kwimpilo yeTechstars kwaye bafumana inkxaso-mali yokuqala ngendlela ye-2.9 yezigidi zeerandi kwi-Federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).Abatyali-mali bayo baquka iCedars-Sinai kunye neMerck Global Innovation Fund, kunye neefemu ze-venture capital Hambrecht Ducera, Foresite Capital kunye neVertical Venture Partners.I-Casavant ikholelwa ukuba wayivavanya imveliso ngamakhulu amaxesha ngexesha lophuhliso lwayo.“Ndiyathanda ukuyazi imveliso ngokupheleleyo,” watsho.
Xa uJim Tananbaum, ugqirha kunye nomseki we-4 yeebhiliyoni zomphathi we-asethi ye-Foresite Capital, wakhubeka kwiCasavant malunga neminyaka emithathu edlulileyo, wathi ukhangele inkampani enokwenza i-phlebotomy naphi na.“Le yingxaki enzima kakhulu,” utshilo.
Ubunzima, wachaza, kukuba xa utsala igazi ngecapillary, uxinezeleko luqhekeza iiseli ezibomvu zegazi, zizenze zingasebenzi.“Beze nesisombululo sobuchule sobuchule ngokwenene,” utshilo."Zininzi ezinye iinkampani ezizama ukwenza oku kodwa azikwazanga ukuza nesisombululo sobugcisa."
Kwabaninzi, iimveliso zokutsalwa kwegazi ngokukhawuleza zikhumbuza iTheranos, eyathembisa ukuvavanya igazi lenaliti ngaphambi kokuphahlazeka kwayo ngo-2018. Umsunguli we-37 oneminyaka engama-37 ubudala u-Elizabeth Holmes unetyala lobuqhetseba kwaye ujongene neminyaka engama-20 entolongweni. ukuba yaphulwa.
Cinezela nje iqhosha elikhulu elibomvu: isixhobo seTasso sivumela izigulane ukuba zithathe igazi ekhaya, ngaphandle koqeqesho lwezonyango.
“Kwakumnandi ukulandela ibali, njengoko sasinjalo,” utshilo uCasavant.“NgeTasso, sihlala sigxile kwisayensi.Imalunga neziphumo zoxilongo, ukuchaneka nokuchaneka.”
Iimveliso zokuqokelela igazi zikaTasso okwangoku zisetyenziswa kwizilingo ezahlukeneyo zeklinikhi ePfizer, uEli Lilly, uMerck kunye nobuncinci iinkampani ezintandathu ze-biopharmaceutical, utshilo.Kunyaka ophelileyo, iZiko loPhando loMhlaza likaFred Hutchinson laphehlelela isifundo se-Covid-19 sokufunda amazinga osulelo, ixesha losulelo, kunye nokosuleleka kwakhona okunokwenzeka kusetyenziswa isixhobo sokutsala igazi seTasso.“Amaqela amaninzi anqwenela ukwenza ulingo ngexesha lobhubhane adinga indlela engcono yokufikelela kwizigulana,” utshilo uCasavant.
UTananbaum, obekuluhlu lweForbes Midas kulo nyaka, ukholelwa ukuba iTasso ekugqibeleni iya kuba nako ukukala ukuya kumakhulu ezigidi zeeyunithi ngonyaka njengoko iindleko zesixhobo zisehla kunye neeapps zongezwa.“Baqala ngamatyala anemfuno ephezulu kunye nengeniso ephezulu,” utshilo.
I-Tasso iceba ukusebenzisa le mali intsha ukwandisa imveliso.Ngexesha lo bhubhani, yathenga isityalo eSeattle ngaphambili sasinikezela ngezikhephe eWest Marine, sivumela inkampani ukuba ivale imveliso kwiiofisi zayo.Indawo inomthamo omkhulu wezixhobo ze-150,000 ngenyanga, okanye i-1.8 yezigidi ngonyaka.
"Ngenxa yomthamo wegazi kunye novavanyo lwegazi e-US, siya kufuna indawo enkulu," kusho uCasavant.Uqikelela ukuba kukho malunga ne-1 bhiliyoni yokutsalwa kwegazi nyaka ngamnye eUnited States, apho iilebhu zenza iimvavanyo ezimalunga ne-10 lamawaka ezigidi, uninzi lwazo zinceda ukunyanga izifo ezingapheliyo kubantu abalupheleyo.“Sijonge umlinganiselo esiwudingayo kunye nendlela yokwakhiwa kweli shishini,” utshilo.
I-RA Capital yenye yezotyalo-mali ezinkulu zezempilo kunye ne-9.4 yeebhiliyoni zeedola phantsi kolawulo ekupheleni kuka-Oktobha.