Rapid Diagnostic Tests
Rapid Diagnostic Tests
SkillCell develops and provides Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) that can be used At-Home or for Point Of Care (POC) diagnosis. They meet high quality standards and require no lab equipment or medical training. SkillCell RDTs aim to address public health issues with sensitive & specific, low-price, fast and easy to use tests.
Based on its patented innovative technology, SkillCell has developed IDIR, a colorimetric urine test detecting insulin resistance (IR) in 15 minutes, without the need of any machine. IR being strongly correlated to overweight and obesity, IDIR allows to alert on their critical impending health impacts : T2 Diabetes & other Metabolic Disorders, associated comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidemia, etc.).
The first urine test for T2 Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders prevention
SkillCell has developed IDIR® (IDentification of Insulin Resistance), the first urine test to diagnose insulin resistance. Supported by a robust clinical study, IDIR® addresses the issue of overweight/obesity and metabolic disorders such as T2 Diabetes, major challenges in public health with very significant socio-economic implications.
IDIR®’s main indications:
- T2 Diabetes prevention,
- Anticipation of the consequences of obesity,
- NASH investigation.
No more lab, needle, blood sample or waiting time!
IDIR®'s mission is to provide people with transparent and critical health information, readily accessible, to help them manage their health and avoid the transition from insulin resistance to chronic metabolic diseases, while at the same time encouraging obesity management measures.
Insulin resistance: a key health information to combat a slow-motion disaster
Insulin resistance is a condition in which cells have a reduced capacity to respond to the insulin hormone. Insulin resistance is highly correlated to unhealthy dietary habits, sedentary life-styles and obesity. It is often an early condition that leads to chronic diseases such as T2 diabetes or NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) and their related complications. Insulin resistance is also a condition that can be reversed in a few months. Its diagnosis is therefore a powerful prevention tool for the chronic metabolic diseases mentioned above.
If current trends continue, almost a quarter (22%) of the people in the world will be obese by 2045 (up from 14% in 2017), and one in eight (12%) will have type 2 diabetes (up from 9% in 2017).
Source: European Association for the Study of Obesity, May 2018
A dramatic global increase in Overweight/Obesity & Metabolic Disorders
Economic growth and modernization have led to lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Unhealthy dietary habits and the movement from active to sedentary lifestyles are dramatically increasing obesity and insulin resistance in the population, leading to diseases such as T2 diabetes or NASH. The onset of these pathologies is usually slow and difficult to determine, but their complications are extremely harmful and can absorb up to 20% of the entire healthcare budget of several countries, making it one of the biggest global health crises of the 21st century.
NASH prevalence could increase of 63% from 2015 to 2030 (Estes, 2018). In the US, we estimate that NASH will become the main cause of liver transplant by 2020.
Source: Hepatology. Modeling the epidemic of NAFLD demonstrates an exponential increase in burden of disease. Jan 2018,
"Prevention is better than cure"
Several large-scale randomized controlled trials carried out in different countries confirm that prevention is efficient and cost effective to prevent overweight & obesity related chronic metabolic diseases such as T2 diabetes. Prevention actions include early diagnosis followed by lifestyle interventions, weight loss drug treatments, insulin and blood-glucose lowering drug treatments, etc. As an easy-to-use and cost-effective test, IDIR is an ideal solution for such prevention actions:
- Sensitive and specific: IDIR completed its proof of concept. It has demonstrated effectiveness compared to the HOMA reference standard test during the first phase of a clinical trial at the Montpellier University Hospital, including 330 people on arrival
- CE marking is planned in 2022
- Cost-effective: low price; replaces a fully-equipped lab
- Easy & Fast:
- No lab required: at home, in the morning, after a fasting period
- Results in 15 minutes; color change
- Connected: possibility to read the colorimetric results with a digital application, interconnected with health information systems and tools to reverse Obesity and Insulin Resistance
- Safe and biodegradable: only proteins inside
IDIR®: Prescription – Self-test – Screening campaigns
- Detect people at risk as early as possible
- Raise awareness about the importance of reversing insulin resistance
- Encourage everyone to implement effective existing solutions
- Support public health systems by lowering the huge financial burden it represents