If you think about it, early detection systems are all around us. How many times have we heard about smoke detectors saving lives, or weather radars detecting potentially dangerous storms?
As you may expect, early detection is nothing new to the medical field. If you have ever had blood drawn for a test or a screening you are familiar with diagnostic detections. The problem however, is that many tests remain mostly unchanged since they were developed. This means that some diseases are still being detected at a stage where treatment may be less effective. What if there was earlier detection for health related issues, such as cancer? Sword Diagnostics focuses on the development of next-generation diagnostic disease detection technology. This technology increases the sensitivity of biomedical tests to detect lower concentrations of biomarkers, which are indicators of disease. For many diseases early detection means earlier treatment, which greatly increases one’s survival rate. Additionally, this technology can be used to better monitor the response of the disease to the treatment and allow for adjustments in medical care. Sword’s detection chemistry is compatible with today’s diagnostic tests without need for changes in industry standard procedures or instrumentation. This greatly increases the potential adoption rate for this new technology. Dave Dingott, President of Sword Diagnostics, said “since beginning sales in February, we have already received commitment from a diagnostics company that screens for breast cancer through a simple blood test. By incorporating Sword’s chemistry into its test they obtained immediate improvements in sensitivity without requiring the purchase of expensive instrumentation and without requiring the redesign of their test. We intend to partner with additional diagnostics companies with the goal of providing earlier detection for many diseases.” Sword Diagnostics is one of a select group of Illinois companies registered and qualified for the Illinois Angel Investment Credit Program operated by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which allows for tax credits for investors if specific conditions are met. For more information visit the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website. Through technological innovations like Sword Diagnostics, one day we will be able to detect and treat diseases as soon as they emerge.
