🔬 CASE STUDY: A New Light on Platelet Function
Bringing Lab Precision to the Point-of-Care for Trauma and Hematology
📍 The Challenge: Current Testing is Failing
Platelet function testing is critical in trauma surgery and hematological management. However, existing tests are slow, complex, and notoriously unreliable. In trauma situations, where hemorrhage is a leading cause of preventable death, waiting for a lab result is not an option.
🧪 The Innovation: The Force-to-Fluorescence System
In partnership with researchers at the University of Cincinnati, Caizio Labs identified a breakthrough "Mechano-Optical" approach to measure platelet strength. The innovation is a two-part system:
Part 1 (The Assay): Force-sensing microbeads coated with molecular sensors that convert platelet strength into a light signal.
Part 2 (The Device): A portable, handheld fluorometer developed by Caizio to precisely measure the assay’s fluorescent signal in real-time.
⚙️ The Caizio Labs Intervention: The Creation Pillar in Action
Caizio Labs stepped in as the internal startup studio to move this innovation out of the university and into the clinic. Our intervention focused on:
SBIR Strategy & Management: We designed a high-conviction funding roadmap to secure non-dilutive capital.
Product Engineering: Our team took the lab-bench concept and industrialized it into a rugged, handheld prototype.
Technical Validation: We coordinated the proof-of-concept experiments to demonstrate the device's ability to distinguish between "active" and "inactive" platelets (treated with antiplatelet drugs).
📈 The Results: Success Metrics & Growth
The Caizio Labs model provided the strategic and technical foundation required to clear the rigorous "Valley of Death."
Total Non-Dilutive Funding Secured: $1,549,418.64
Phase I Feasibility (2025): Successfully achieved a 1 picomolar detection goal for target fluorophores, proving the device’s extreme high sensitivity.
Phase II Expansion (2026-2028): Awarded a $1.3 Million DHA contract to move from a functional prototype to an investor-ready beta device.
Regulatory Milestone: Established a clear FDA pathway for a Point-of-Care diagnostic device.
🚀 Studio Impact
By leveraging Caizio Labs, this project reached technical proof-of-concept and clinical validation without the early erosion of founder equity. Today, the project is a flagship example of how our tripartite mission—Creation, Support, and Investing—accelerates breakthroughs that manage oncology and hematology health outside the hospital.
"The prototype successfully distinguished between 'active' and 'inactive' beads, providing the precise data trauma surgeons need to prevent hemorrhage-related mortality."