Enabling Earlier Detection of Infections
A new breath-based test that can detect infection within two hours of its onset is well on its way to commercialization and public launch, thanks to continued innovation at Madison-based Isomark LLC. The company was founded in 2007 after a group of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered a way to use breath markers to detect infections earlier in patients—even before they experience symptoms—and that a market existed for the test in hospitals.
The company anticipates launching its patented device, Canary™, for public use in 2017. This infection monitoring technology is based on metabolism, and once a particular shift in metabolism is detected, an infection is indicated. The company is also developing a smaller version of Canary, which it hopes to launch at around the same time. Currently, Isomark is conducting research trials to get its products FDA approved. The company presently has five employees, including part-time staff.
Bringing a Game-Changing Product to Market
Early on, Isomark received certification through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s (WEDC’s) Qualified New Business Venture Program, authorizing the company’s investors to receive up to $1 million in tax credits on the funds invested. Isomark also received a Technology Development Loan of $187,500 from WEDC to help finance the development and commercialization of its products and services. So far, Isomark has used its TDL funding to purchase equipment to further examine carbon isotopes in the breath, as well as for product development and covering expenses for various studies.
In addition to WEDC resources, Isomark has received assistance from Merlin Mentors, UW-Madison’s Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic and the Center for Technology and Commercialization, as well as grants from the National Institutes of Health and UW-Madison and an investment from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
(June 2015)
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