Seventh Sense Biosystems (Cambridge, MA) landed CE Mark approval in the European Union for its Touch Activated Phlebotomy platform. The platform is designed for blood collection procedures and is slated for release in one year or more. For now, the company is scaling up the manufacture of the device. In total, the global blood collection market is estimated to be worth $3 to $5 billion.
The stethoscope-sized device utilizes microscopic needles to pierce a patient's skin. Through these pores, small quantities of blood can be collected from patients. In total, the platform can be used to collect 20 to 100 milliliters of blood from a patient. The device is designed to serve as a replacement for the finger prick blood collection method.
"It's messy. Doctors don't like it. Patients don't like it,' noted CEO Howard Weisman. "But it's cheap and it's easy."
While the company hopes to tap into the total phlebotomy market, their latest CE Marked- device targets the point-of-care market. In total, the point-of-care market is worth an estimated $1 to $1.5 billion.
While the company has pushed for FDA approval of the platform, it declined to share information with reporters on the current status of its application. However, the company did commence a registration trial of the TAP system in April to win favor with American and European regulators.
