Orbis Diagnostics – Growing the Business

Professor Cather Simpson, formerly a Dodd-Walls board member, is Chief Executive of Orbis Diagnostics, which is undertaking a Pre-Series A capital raise. She spoke to Greg Hurrell at Business Desk about what it takes to build and grow a med-tech business.  The article is behind a paywall, and you can also read more about the business below.    

Diagnostic testing data is required for around 70% of the decisions that are made about our health. For many people, accessing a full-service medical lab can be a challenge which affects the timeliness and efficiency of diagnosis and later, treatment. The issue with most of point-of-care diagnostic platforms is that is they’re incapable of producing medical laboratory quality blood test results.  

Orbis is developing a next-generation diagnostics platform which can deliver clinically accurate blood test results from a single fingerstick of blood at a doctor’s office, pharmacy, or other point-of-care. It is commercialising a desktop-sized medical testing platform which is robust, scalable and accurate, at the point of care, in less than 30minutes. This compares to regular turnaround times of 4-10 days.  

Orbis was co-founded in 2016 by Professor Simpson and Scientific Adviser Emeritus Professor David Williams of the University of Auckland.  At the heart of the platform is a device dubbed the "Nespresso of diagnostics". This is a compact, automated instrument that will run a proprietary disposable microfluidic disc containing all necessary onboard reagents. It is driven by a spinning disc rather than complex external pumps or valves and features a very low bill of materials, giving it an exceptional price advantage.   

The company already produces a world-first point-of-care panel that simultaneously measures the three primary blood markers for the Hepatitis B Virus. A recent directive from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that all 260m US adults be screened for these markers has boosted the company’s commercial viability. Orbis is currently seeking to raise NZ$8.9m (up to NZ$11m) in a Pre-Series A round. 

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