Kromek Share Discussion Threads

[b00mb0y] 20/9/2021 16:26

Hmmm, I wonder why mick33 didn’t tell us that. Let’s face it, he knows it all. After all he is the biggest paid ramper on here. Wonder what he has to say about that.

[quepassa] 20/9/2021 14:32

By the way, highly-regarded Oxford Nanopore Technologies finally filed seven days ago for its long awaited IPO.

The estimated market value of ONT will upon listing be circa £4 billion.

An interesting recent article about ONT's forthcoming IPO in Genetic Engineering and Biotech News

hXXps://www.genengnews.com/news/oxford-nanopore-files-for-london-ipo-with-potential-value-of-5-5b/



ALL IMO. DYOR.
QP

[quepassa] 20/9/2021 11:03

Covid DNA-sequencing.



What other companies are doing.



Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

MinION and other Oxford Nanopore Technologies REAL-TIME sequencing products



Reality Check 1.

hXXps://nanoporetech.com/



Reality Check 2.

hXXps://nanoporetech.com/about-us/news/oxford-nanopore-launches-midnight-kit-suitable-low-high-throughput-sars-cov-2




ALL IMO. DYOR.
QP

[dexter1612] 18/9/2021 21:08

Interesting Mick, thanks for posting.

[33mick] 18/9/2021 16:27

Talking internationally a sobering read from Germany.

Winter Worries: The Changing Virus - DER SPIEGEL

The Changing Virus
As winter approaches, experts are concerned that more contagious variants of the coronavirus could emerge. Measure to prevent the spread of the virus, they say, will be with us for a long time to come.

[aqc888] 17/9/2021 17:24

There was an interview with the ceo where he spoke of ‘serious discussions with various interested governments’. I think other countries where covid rates are being kept low will be far more interested in this detector than the U.K. I should think in the U.K. the market will be restricted to vulnerable people in the nhs and care homes and institutions where £20k won’t be seen as a big outlay - such as investment banks wanting to reassure staff to return and private schools. These markets in themselves should prove quite substantial but I can see far more interest internationally.

[ark87] 17/9/2021 16:25

Agree. Could be used with traffic lights system at large venues/hospitals/airports/schools ect. Strong Covid detection Red light - Everyone mask up/social distancing. Green light: No Covid detected: No masks, carry on as normal.

Or they might just not bother and iwill be used by government only to monitor Covid levels. Hopefully we find out in next few months.

[petersw1] 17/9/2021 13:17

I'd imagine if a detection is made in a hospital you'd activate more stringent measures to prevent spread. Measures I could imagine would be to switch to higher grade face masks and PPE, take more care to avoid cross contamination and test everyone. You could also re-direct particularly vulnerable patients elsewhere.

[dogwalker] 17/9/2021 12:52

Thanks a lot Nick4212.

[nick2412] 17/9/2021 12:16

Dogwalker, that's a key question and it's why I think the broader bio-threat detector will be the product that sells significantly and be a commercial success rather than the Covid specific detector.The latter should be available before the broader one marketed for defense budgets and referenced as commercially available during this financial year.

I did ask the question the question you raise at the AGM - I've copied it here (below) and the answer from Kromek. The reply didn't really shed much light aside from saying it depends on the concentration. I can see why it would be useful for cruise ships or isolated long-term 'events' where detection can be followed up by mass testing.

I'm not sure, however, that sports events, shopping centres etc will want results that say 'we detect Covid but aren't going to do any follow up actions.' There would be a clamour for shutdowns and cancellations and that's not what these businesses will want. Schools? If closures are not a desired option then the same applies. The price of 20k is an issue as well.

I think the focus will be on vaccinations, booster jabs etc. As long as the NHS isn't over-run then the emphasis is going to be on testing individuals rather than a broad signal that Covid is evident in a 50,000 crowd. The defense sector, however, is different of course and will have both the budget and a compelling need.


Question:- For the Covid and other health threat virus detector, what use is it in an area of a very large number of people such as a stadium or airport given it doesn’t identify who has the virus and should therefore isolate immediately? In other words what helpful actions does the detector prompt when signalling virus detection for the purchaser of the product?

Answer: We are conducting a range of trials and pilots in locations with differing footfall densities and are working with those organisations to build and develop appropriate use-case models appropriate for the particular location. The actions that will be taken by the user will vary depending on the use-case developed and the concentration of Covid or other pathogens present and identified by the technology.

[dogwalker] 17/9/2021 11:53

What happens after the virus has been detected? Is an evacuation/closure of the infected space the next step which would be why multiple detectors are needed to avoid shutting an entire hospital? Or is the detection simply 'noted' . It's not clear where detection leads if not panic!

[33mick] 17/9/2021 10:31

Dave from the last paragraph in yesterday's Times article Kromek looks as if they will soon announce a NHS Hospital trail with multiple units positioned around the hospital.
I remember reading news that many people in Hospitals for treatment and operations were infected with Covids so it's an obvious use of the technology to save lives.

"Kromek is also testing the world’s first autonomous coronavirus detector, which automatically picks up all variants of the virus by sampling and analysing the air and provides results every half an hour.

It is about launch a pilot project with the NHS in which the technology will be used in various locations inside a hospital."

[davethechef] 17/9/2021 08:50

Thanks for the links yesterday. A little bit more encouraging for me. I've taken a few more yesterday & today.
I see a decent contract (eventually!) from the NHS for one. This price looks a fair price to me ( historically) The ongoing show & awards will bring in orders too, IMHO
Still need a update on progress because it's been frustrating the lack of a proper update apart from twitter updates & some media links etc.
However once an update, news on orders appears it'll move quickly & it'll be difficult to purchase without it going to NT, so I've been picking up a few more presently, believing the above will become reality.

[33mick] 16/9/2021 20:10

Aqc888, Kromek has never mentioned the 3rd party Sequencing platform by name they are using in thier Patho detection systems. Commercially sensitive etc.
Arnab has described it in a number of ways now as he doesn't read from a script when he's interviewed and I've listened with ears pinned back to see if he lets slip any more clues to confirm my guess from last November.
He's said its uses Nuletic Acid tech, it's a UK company, can read in almost real time (30 mins,) and is very accurate in false negs 1/800,00) and Thier partner has used the same platform to detect airborne pathos for crop protection (Earlham Institute)

('The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material found in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. The other type of nucleic acid, RNA, is mostly involved in protein synthesis.')

So its not hard to work out. and very reassuring considering all the news about them this week.

[aqc888] 16/9/2021 18:57

So the detector uses a targeted assay to sample the air. I note from my Google search this technology seems to be what illumina and Oxford nanopore do. So I’m wondering how much IP Kromek will have which will prevent competition. Competitors might not be quite as far behind as originally thought?

Interesting they’ve only just now released the details of the technology... I’d suggest that’s a good sign that they are very near to commercialisation.

[b00mb0y] 16/9/2021 16:41

Actually, b00mb0y found the whole read very exiting. And dare I say it, welcoming. Still, however, this needs to get in to mainstream news and splashed around all tv channels. Considering the potential nothing is being said. That is very frustrating!!!

[dogwalker] 16/9/2021 16:37

What happens if there is a match? I suppose it 'flags them down in the system'...

[33mick] 16/9/2021 15:51

Made it into the Times today -

After the Ninja write up

"Also on display at the arms fair was an early warning system that could be used to prevent a future pandemic and which is being developed by a British company and funded by the US government.

KAP scan, a biological detection system created by Kromek, automatically samples the air and collects any pathogenic particles at a rate of 5,000 litres per minute. It then tries to match the particles to a library of known substances and if there is no match it flags them up in the system."

[simithy] 16/9/2021 15:19

I guess that protein assay technology can also morph in to tumour detection for early stage cancer diagnosis. Something that dogs are apparently capable of. Exciting
All imo

[davethechef] 16/9/2021 14:38

Positive article 33mick, but wait-a- minute,
BOOmbOy, will put a ' downer' on it, no mistake lol!?!

[33mick] 16/9/2021 13:54

September 3, 2021
PYNK blog

Kromek: Well placed in the aftermath of Covid
Kromek Investment Case

"It is difficult not to be excited by Kromek’s groundbreaking technology to sample air and identify the presence of any biological pathogen – including Covid-19 or any mutant version – that is being piloted in UK airports, hospitals and the retail sector in the coming months. It is based on Kromek’s work in developing a mobile bio-security system capable of detecting airborne pathogens for an agency of the US Department of Defence. The detector is incredibly accurate, giving a false alarm in just one in 800,000 tests."

"Further Wins Very Likely and Not Factored into the Price
It’s important to note that there is every possibility that current forecasts are upgraded in the months ahead. Estimates do not currently factor in any further wins from Kromek’s biosecurity pathogen detectors which sample air and identify the presence of any biological pathogen including Covid-19".

Recent article I've not come across before.

[33mick] 16/9/2021 13:12

CBNW Magazine London

3rd article down

[b00mb0y] 16/9/2021 13:09

Yes it has been named but has it been bought?

[33mick] 16/9/2021 12:59

DSEi2021-09-14

It's been named -

"KAPScan" (Kromek Automated Pathogen Scanner) is a standalone, fully autonomous Covid-19 Detection System that uses a targeted assay to sample the air every 30 minutes to confirm whether the disease – in all its potential variants – is present. Eighteen months into the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, this high-speed, highly accurate device offers a revolutionary capability to understand and control the spread of the disease.

KAPScan-AT (Airborne Targeted) can be used indoors or outdoors, in static or mobile capacities and can be run continuously or as required. The device will report either the presence or absence of Covid-19. The speed and accuracy of reporting and localised monitoring enables a detailed understanding of the spread of the virus, and allows mitigating actions to be taken such as targeted testing or decontamination.