18 May 2020 - - US-based COVID-19 testing and tracking company Kahala Biosciences LLC and technology partner Rymedi, Inc., a Greenville, South Carolina-based developer of blockchain-based protocols and solutions for life sciences and pharmaceuticals, have launched the ADIONA COVID-19 antibody testing platform, the first system available in the US that integrates antibody testing with a blockchain-based smartphone software application to bring predictability and traceability to COVID-19 antibody testing.

Antibody testing is used to determine if someone has been previously infected with the COVID-19 virus and may have developed immunity.

The ADIONA platform combines a rapid point-of-care antibody (IgG/IgM) test performed using a simple finger stick with an end-to-end blockchain solution.

The platform is designed to authenticate each test kit from manufacturer to patient, ensure patient privacy via encrypted data, prevent results tampering and data loss, allow instant access to their test result from the cloud and, ultimately, enable symptom tracking.

The combination of accurate and widely available testing with tracking or tracing platforms has been identified as a best practice to counter and ultimately contain the spread of COVID-19.

According to Scientists To Stop COVID-19, a group of top US scientists and business leaders collaborating with the federal government, the tenets of restoring our society and economy include frequent testing for the virus, antibody testing and daily certification of symptoms.

The technology behind the ADIONA platform incorporates a mobile device application for real-time test results and geolocation reporting, as well as cryptographically secured QR codes to verify the authenticity of kits, reagents and test results.

Blockchain-enabled data management provides predictive analytics to better anticipate and respond to disease outbreaks, while fully complying with HIPAA, GDPR and cGxP requirements.

In practical use, the ADIONA platform enables the patient to confidentially input health information and receive a personalized QR code prior to testing.

The QR code is used to track them through the testing process, and allows them to depart immediately after their finger-prick test and receive their private test results to their phone within 15 minutes.

All information about the test manufacturer, shipping, user health and personal information, payment, time and location of testing, and results will be accessible on the patient's phone secured by blockchain technology.

This information will not only be important to employers in checking employee health status with the employee's permission, but will also be useful for regional tracking of disease trends while protecting individual patient privacy.

Future capabilities of the platform include point-of-care testing from home or work outside of a healthcare environment, and symptom tracking via a daily digital questionnaire completed on a smartphone app that assesses risk.

Irvine, California-based Kahala Biosciences LLC empowers employers to bring their employees safely back to the workplace by providing an end-to-end solution that facilitates rapid diagnostic testing for all employees, as well as those at high risk of contracting or transmitting the virus (health care workers).

Kahala is a portfolio company of Koa Accel, a hyper-accelerator transforming life-saving medical device ideas into vibrant commercial ventures.