The allowed claims from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office include TAP devices for the collection of any volume of blood and the use of microneedles, microfluidics and a vacuum to cause blood flow. These patent allowances are key to expanding on 7SBio’s proprietary Touch Activated Phlebotomy (TAP) technology platform and the core design of the TAP devices, Seventh Sense bigwigs said.
“We are thrilled to have reached this milestone on our path towards the commercialization of our devices,” said Howard Weisman, CEO. “We continue to make progress towards transforming blood testing so that it is more comfortable, manageable and ubiquitous for patients. With more than 40 percent of the population reported to be in non-compliance with their blood test requisitions due to fear of a venipuncture or finger stick, the potential impact of a patented system that is essentially pain-free is enormous and life changing for millions of individuals. We are another large step closer to that reality.”
Seventh Sense Biosystems received its first patent in October of 2013 for low-pressure packaging for fluid devices. This patent covered combinations of blood collection devices packaged under vacuum in a wide variety of materials that increase product stability. The company expects receive a broad array of other patents related to blood collection and diagnostics in the near future.
TAP is a proprietary platform that draws capillary blood in a painless, one-step process without having to access a vein, and it can be utilized across and integrated with a broad spectrum of diagnostic applications. The TAP system penetrates the uppermost layers of skin through the use of micro-needles, collects capillary blood using a novel microfluidic extraction process, and stabilizes the blood with anticoagulant if required, the company said. The device has a visual indicator to confirm that collection is complete. The TAP platform is designed for fully automated, high throughput manufacturing.