With the release of its first pregnancy test kit based on saliva, an Israeli company is prepared to make the difficult process of determining pregnancy simple.
The Times of Israel reported on Thursday that the SaliStick test kits will be available in Israel, Europe, South Africa, and the UAE by 2023.
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The 2016-founded biotech business claims to be in advanced talks with distributors to supply the SaliStick test kits in the first quarter of 2023 and has secured European CE certification for the test kits.
The company is now in the process of applying for FDA approval in the US after receiving the certification for its release in the EU markets.
The Times of Israel reports that the business based the pregnancy test on the same technology used to create COVID-19 testing kits.
The co-founder and deputy CEO of Salingnostics, Dr. Guy Krief, commented on this finding in an interview with The Times of Israel: “It is deeply encouraging that technology that was honed and developed to help us deal with one of the worst pandemics is able to be developed further to help contribute to help and wellness for women and families all over the world.”
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In comparison to conventional pregnancy tests, the saliva test is less complicated and messier. To collect the saliva, users must place one side of the kit into their mouths and wait a few seconds. Results from the test should be available in 10 minutes.
The kit offers “excellent accuracy of early pregnancy detection,” according to the company’s website. According to the company, the test is based on “new technology which detects the pregnancy hormone -hCG in saliva.”
It can be used on the first day after a missed period. When two lines appear on the test after taking it, it will be pregnant.
The Times of Israel reports that the business finished its productive clinical studies on more than 300 women in Israel last year. Since then, the business has established manufacturing facilities in Galilee, in northern Israel’s Lavon industrial zone.
By 2030, it is anticipated that the Israeli business, which was formed by a group of academics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will be worth close to $2 billion. The business wants to concentrate on the emergence of saliva as a “key diagnostics signal”.
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Speaking about how saliva is the key to rapid diagnosis for a range of medical conditions, Salignostics co-founder Professor Aron Palmon said, “Saliva is the key to rapid diagnosis for a variety of medical conditions.
The statement “With SaliStick, we exploit the tremendous diagnostics abilities we have been able to generate by analysing saliva,” was made in reference to the fact that it is the only non-invasive, simple, and hygienic method to identify hormones, viruses, and even illnesses.
When testing for pregnancy, this device fully eliminates the need for blood and urine samples. The company has reportedly raised $16 million in financing and has been awarded four grants by the Israel Innovation Authority, according to The Times of Israel.