Scalable, At-Home Diagnostics: How SiPhox Delivers with Silicon Photonics
Intel Capital’s edition of the InTechnology podcast spotlights investors and leaders from the Intel Capital portfolio and their game-changing technologies. These conversations explore the key areas of technology Intel Capital invests in and the companies shaping the future of compute.
Despite an increased number of Americans living with chronic diseases, access to low-cost and convenient health testing is not increasing in availability to patients. In the latest episode of Intel Capital’s InTechnology podcast series, Mike Dubrovsky, CPO and Co-Founder of SiPhox, an Intel Capital portfolio company, joined Intel and Intel Capital to share how SiPhox is tackling the chronic disease epidemic.
As a leader in silicon photonics, SiPhox is revolutionizing health diagnostic testing through the development of comprehensive, commercially viable test kits. Silicon photonics, as explained by Dubrovsky, is akin to the evolution from vacuum bulbs to transistors, but for optics. This technology leverages the precision of lithography to create pre-aligned and pre-connected optical circuits on a chip, eliminating the painstaking process of manual alignment associated with traditional optics. This advancement has been pivotal in telecom, but SiPhox is steering it towards a novel use-case: at-home medical diagnostics.
SiPhox is pioneering the use of silicon photonics to develop at-home test kits that can measure a range of biomarkers in blood, providing insights into cardiovascular health, nutrition, inflammation, thyroid function, and hormones. This innovation places SiPhox at the intersection of medical and consumer spaces, offering a level of convenience and accessibility previously unseen in the healthcare industry.
The technology behind SiPhox's tests involves resonant optical structures on a chip that can detect changes in light reflection when proteins bind to them. This method, historically used in pharma for drug development, is now being miniaturized and made affordable for consumer use. The potential for this technology is vast, with applications ranging from chronic patient healthcare monitoring to empowering individuals with data to manage their health proactively.
Intel Capital's interest in SiPhox stems from the company's ability to bring lab-grade diagnostics into the home at consumer-friendly price points. Srini Ananth, lead Intel Capital investor in the company, highlights the incredible potential for accurate health biomarkers that are also readily available to patients. This could revolutionize how we manage our healthcare, shifting from annual physicals to continuous, data-driven health monitoring.
Dubrovsky also shares SiPhox's innovative approach to market testing their device, which involved launching a preview version using off-the-shelf technology. This allowed the SiPhox team to gather valuable data on consumer demand and clinical utility, informing their strategic decisions for commercializing the hardware.
When addressing privacy concerns, Dubrovsky assures that upholding patient privacy remains a top priority, while still leveraging data to improve healthcare delivery. Although blood testing poses less risk than DNA testing, as biomarkers are generic and cannot typically identify individuals, Dubrovsky emphasizes the importance of privacy to the SiPhox team.
Tune in to the full conversation to uncover the exciting possibilities that silicon photonics brings to personalized medicine. SiPhox's innovative approach to at-home diagnostics could pave the way for a future where managing health is as routine and accessible as checking the weather, empowering individuals to take control of their well-being with cutting-edge technology.
