NEW YORK – South Korean startup Orange Biomed announced Wednesday its US launch with continued development of its point-of-care OBM Rapid A1c test for diabetes detection and management.
The company said the glycated hemoglobin analyzer performs single-cell analysis using a drop of blood and novel testing methods that are free of hemoglobin variant interference, delivering results within five minutes. It added its portable, laboratory-level technology provides more accurate A1c results in nonwhite patients than competing A1c tests.
"Hemoglobin variants are more common in patients with African, South and Southeast Asian, and Mediterranean ancestry," company Cofounder Yeaseul Park noted in a statement.
Orange Biomed said the OBM Rapid A1c test could fill critical testing gaps for people with prediabetes or diabetes and it is undergoing studies of the technologies with Asan Medical Center in South Korea. The firm plans to seek US Food and Drug Administration clearance within a year.
The firm noted it has received more than $2 million through pre-Series A funding rounds.