1. The World’s only known robotic, LED based, smear microscope for TB screening!

2. Facts about TB incidence
With 8.8 Mi new cases annually and almost 2 Mi deaths, TB is still a leading mortality factor
Overall, one-third of the world's population is currently infected with the TB bacillus.
10% of people who are infected with TB bacilli (but who are not infected with HIV) become sick or infectious at some time during their life.
TB is the leading killer of people with HIV
27 countries account for 85% of MDR-TB cases
There is huge need for tools that correspond to the medical need at affordable price (WHO report)
Annually over USD 1 Bi wss spent on TB diagnostics in 2009, and the sum is increasing
Nearly 5,000 people die from TB daily,
a curable disease in most cases !!
Source WHO

3. Further Facts
The most commonly used sputum smear microscopy is more than 100 years old, but is the most affordable for the majority of HBC countries
Traditionally executed, it is also the most ineffective, detects only half of patients tested with currently used manual method, mainly due to low sensitivity, lack of well trained personel, tiring factor.
Todays TB drugs are more then 40 years old and have to be taken for 6-9 months
Todays TB vaccine is more than 85 years old
Delay in assessing proper diagnostics costs time, money and leads to continued transmission of infections
TB drains 12 billion USD from the annual incomes of the poorest communities
Loss of productivity attributable to TB approaches 7% of GDP in some countries
There is urgent need for more accurate and rapid diagnostic tests (WHO, FIND)
Source WHO

4. The Shocking Facts about TB

5. TB Burden
Source WHO

6. Current market (WHO)
Source WHO

7. Sputum smear diagnosis of TB:
Light source microscopy ZN staining
The fastest and cheapest available method
Good specificity
Weak sensitivity
Trained staff needed
Time consuming,10– 15 min./slide
Traditional
Fluorescence microscopy
Increased sensitivity
More expensive
Faster, less tiresome
Maintenance requirements (mercury vapour lamps)

8. Current smear market (WHO)
Source WHO

9. The Global Revised WHO Plan 2011-2015

10. Current smear market
Source WHO

11. - Potential smear market 200 M tests (WHO)
Market cont.
Current assumptions:
Number of microscopy centers ~70K (58K public, 12K private)
20% of microscopes should be replaced by LED by 2015 (WHO)
1 smear laboratory/ population should be reached by 2015 (WHO)
- Potential smear market M tests (WHO)
Source WHO

12. Fluorobot: the only fully automated, dedicated solution
Based on the traditional smear microscopy principle
LED fluorescent technique
Fully automated
Input / output and moving of the slides
Image capturing and analysis
Intelligent bacterium recognition algorythms
Long walk away time
Low cost, robust design suitable for high incidence, high burden countires
Small footprint
High throughput (25 smears/hour)
Competitive cost/test

13. Main Features
Illumination system using LED technology, much less sensitive, longer lifetime and cheaper than mercury vapour lamps
Robust, cost effective X-Y movement
Special, fast focusing system
Cost effective, simplified light path, optimised for a single magnification
Dedicated image processing and pattern recognition algorithms used for bacteria identification
Huge walk away window, batch processing of 100 – 250 slides
Standardised quality, no tiring effect
No trained microscope reading staff needed

14. Major milestones Feasibility Study in Q1 2009
Functional Model stage was successfully reached Q4 2009
Laboratory Sample Stage was reached at Q3 2010
„Proof Of Principle” study was conducted at German TB Reference Laboratory, WHO Supranational Laboratory at Borstel led by Dr. Rüsch-Gerdes in September 2010, with positive outcome
„Letter Of Intent” was signed with FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva) in November 2010
Financing Partner is searched in, to carry the project through Prototype Development (Q3 2013) and Validation (Q4 2013)
Industrialization and Test Production Planned Q3 2014
GoLive of final product (and disposable) planned Q4 2014

15. The Road behind our development team
Core team has more than 15 years experience in medical imaging and robotic microscopy
Main project in the early 90s was the Seditron urine sediment analyzer developed and produced for Boehringer Mannheim

16. Your Invitation!
Join the Journey!