Real-Time Blood Count Analyzing Company Wins $3 Million European Commission Grant

PixCell Medical Technologies Ltd., an Israel-based company developing a device for real-time blood count analysis, announced Wednesday it has won a 2.5 million euros ($3 million) two-year grant from Horizon 2020, the European Union’s research and innovation program. PixCell has previously won a grant from the office of the chief scientist in Israel.

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Established in 2008, privately-held PixCell develops portable medical diagnostic devices for use in point-of-care testing. Its lead product, a kettle-sized device called HemoScreen, can analyze 20 standard blood count parameters including hemoglobin, platelet and white blood cell count within five minutes.

The technology, which PixCell states has been validated in three clinical studies in the U.S., is based on a lab-on-a-cartridge concept: a single-use, disposable cartridge that includes storage compartments, mixing chambers, and a microfluidic chip that serves as both a reactor and an analysis chamber. This enables the execution of complex lab procedures without user intervention.

The device has received a CE Mark (European conformity) permission, and the company expects it to be cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018.

PixCell stated it will use the funding for additional clinical trials and to accelerate HemoScreen’s commercialization. The company is currently developing the technology for additional diagnostic products for hemostatic and immuno-based disorders.