Intro 

In 2007, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the Point of Care Technologies Research Network (POCTRN) to drive the development of healthcare technologies. This effort emerged at a time when primary care providers were assuming more significant roles and patients were becoming more actively engaged in their care. 

Today, POCTRN oversees a multidisciplinary network focused on advancing point-of-care and at-home diagnostic tools to improve diagnosis and treatment for a range of conditions, both nationally and internationally. 

In 2025, POCTRN launched six new funding opportunities to accelerate the development of promising point-of-care technologies. The awardees have funding opportunities of up to $150,000, along with up to 12 months of in-kind support services designed to help de-risk technologies, strengthen clinical alignment, and move projects closer to real-world implementation. 

Below are the 2025 awardees, organized by Center. 

Awardees by Center 

CIDID (Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases) 

Company: AmplifiDx, Inc

Title: Rapid NG/CT Point-of-Care Test with Ciprofloxacin Resistance Detection and Coral Bio Urine Enrichment, Evaluated with Biorepository Samples and Benchtop Testing

Goal: 

• Validation of Coral Bio urine enrichment device.
• LOD determination using center samples.
• Benchtop evaluation. 

Company: ElectraDx Molecular 

Title: Advancing Community Centered Extragenital Screening Strategies (ACCESS) for 

Chlamydia and Gonorrhea (Ct/Ng) 

Goal: 

• Optimize and refine sample transfer device.
• Test and determine the optimal filter that doesn’t interfere with LAMP reaction.
• Perform LOD determination with contrived samples from Center. 

Company: Diagnostics Direct, LLC 

Title: Accelerating the Development of a Rapid, Low-Cost, and Instrument-Free Treponemal / Nontreponemal Point-of-Care Immunochromatographic Test to Enable Simultaneous Syphilis Screening and Confirmation 

Goal: 

• Optimize detection of nTp Ab using synthetic cardiolipin.
• Assess performance using uninfected, cross-reactant, and infected serum samples. 

CITEC (Center for Innovation and Translation of POC Technologies for Expanded Cancer Care Access) 

Academic Institution: University of Texas at Austin  

Title: Multiplex POC hrHPV Genotyping 

Goal: 

• To develop a one-pot multiplex isothermal nucleic acid amplification test to rapidly distinguish 14 hrHPV genotypes from crude samples with visual colorimetric readout on lateral flow assays.
• The team has developed a novel first-in-class multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (Mx-LAMP) reaction that co-amplifies 14 HrHPV genotypes and a human control.
• The test will now be automated on low-cost LAMP-pad cartridges and reagent cost, and cold-chain dependence will be minimized by optimizing ready-to-use dried reaction mixes. Cost will be further reduced by replacing tag:antibody capture system with immobilized OSD-based LAMP amplicon capture.

Academic Institution: University of Rochester 

Title: BREVIUS: BREast cancer Volume Imaging UltraSound 

Goal: 

• BREVIUS is an ultrasound-based system for rapid and automated diagnosis of breast lumps that can be performed without a radiologist or a sonographer utilizing a tablet and portable ultrasound probe using Volume-Sweep-Imaging (VSI) acquisition.
• Images are interpreted either by a radiologist remotely or by an AI algorithm on the tablet allowing triage of a breast lump as potentially benign or malignant within minutes. Preliminary data from Peru show 100% sensitivity and 86% specificity for cancer detection. 

Academic Institution: Baylor College of Medicine 

Title: Low-cost telepathology 

Goal: 

• The OpenFlexure Microscope (OFM) is a low-cost (~$400) telepathology to address diagnostic challenges in low resource areas. Utilizing 3D-printing technology and open-source design, the OFM provides high-resolution digital imaging for histology and cytology. It features a translation stage, compact optics module, integrated digital camera, and computer for user friendly tissue imaging. High-resolution images are stored locally and can be uploaded to a secure server when connectivity is available to enable remote diagnosis by pathologists.
• The plan will establish sustainable local production networks for the OFM, a regulatory approval pathway, and deploy systems at remote sites and mobile clinics to improve cancer screening access in underserved communities. The team has established a strong collaboration with “Harena Inovacao,” the innovation hub for “Hospital de Amor” in Barretos, San Paulo. 

Academic Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital 

Title: Evolution of Tethered Capsule Endomicroscopy for Anal Cancer Screening  

Goal: 

• The team will develop a tethered capsule endomicroscope (TCE) with optical coherence tomography (OCT) for rapid, non-invasive screening of anal dysplasia and early-stage cancer. The system is based on a platform originally created for esophageal cancer screening. It allows us to capture real-time, high-resolution cross-sectional images of the full anal canal epithelium.
• Unlike HRA, which only shows the surface and requires expert training, the capsule captures detailed 3D images, helping clinicians spot changes like thickened epithelium, disrupted layers, and irregular basal membranes, without the need for a biopsy. Image acquisition takes less than two minutes, and the full procedure, from insertion to removal, takes under five minutes. Because of its speed and simplicity, the capsule could be used in a wider range of clinics, including those in underserved areas.
• The team will fabricate tethered capsules for clinical use and testing; determine how OCT-based lesion classifications agree with histologic diagnoses; and develop a commercialization strategy. 

Academic Institution: University of California Berkeley 

Title: Detecting miRNA signatures of breast cancer with a point-of-care Cas13a assay 

Goal: 

• CRISPR-Cas13a system to detect a panel of eight serum miRNAs dysregulated in breast cancer, which has been validated in an ethnically diverse patient population. The proposed platform enables both detection and quantification without the need for RNA purification, reverse transcription, or amplification.
• Investigators will apply Cas13a-based miRNA detection system to commercially available serum samples, targeting four miRNAs that are upregulated in breast cancer patients and have been validated in serum across multiple studies; evaluate the eight-miRNA panel in human banked serum samples available through the UCSF Breast Program Tissue Core to test the assay against: 1) Breast cancer positive samples, 2) Non-breast cancer breast disease positive samples, 3) Non-breast cancer samples, 4) Healthy patient samples; and begin to develop a regulatory approval strategy. 

Academic Institution: Rice University 

Title: Low-Cost LED-Based Photoacoustic Tomography for Breast Cancer Screening and Treatment Monitoring  

Goal: 

• The goal is to develop a portable, low-cost photoacoustic tomography (PAT) system powered by LED excitation for breast cancer diagnosis. LED-PAT integrates optical and ultrasonic imaging to noninvasively measure tissue oxygenation. The system features acompact, handheld probe with affordable LED illumination, optimized for point-of-care use, particularly beneficial for patients with dense breast tissue where mammography and ultrasound fall short. LED-PAT quantitatively maps blood oxygenation allowingfunctional assessment of tumor physiology.
• Develop Product Requirements document and prototype; Deploy LED-PAT prototypes to multiple clinical sites; Conduct structured clinician interviews and usability evaluations; Conduct market analysis and develop competitor landscape report.

CAPCaT (Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies) 

Company: Cosmos Pharmaceuticals Inc 

Title: Improving Pulmonary Outcomes through Real-Time Adherence Monitoring: A Point-of- Care Platform for Chronic and Infectious Lung Diseases 

Goal: 

Unmet Needs 

• Patient-level gap – Complex treatment regimens, socioeconomic barriers, and lack of feedback led to poor medication adherence (often <60%), resulting in faster disease progression, more flare-ups, and premature mortality.
• Clinician-level gap – Providers lack real-time visibility into patient adherence outside the hospital, making it hard to distinguish true treatment failure from noncompliance, which delays escalation of care and leads to suboptimal decision-making.
• System-level gap – Payers and health systems bear rising costs from avoidable readmissions, prolonged treatments, and underperformance in value-based contracts due to adherence-driven outcomes not being effectively managed. 

Proposed Solutions 

• Smart pill bottle – Uses fingerprint ID and sensors to make sure the right patient takes the right medicine at the right time. 
• Health tracking – Connects with medical records to show if patients are staying on track and warns doctors early if problems arise. 
• Better outcomes – Helps patients stick to treatment, gives doctors real-time insight, and saves the health system money by avoiding hospital readmissions. 

Company: CoreDio 

Title: Non-invasive Wearable-Based Hemodynamic Monitoring for Heart Failure Management and Readmission Prevention Using Digital Twin Technology 

Goal: 

Unmet Needs 

• Patients – Current home tools (scales, diaries, vitals) miss early warning signs of heart failure decompensation, leaving patients anxious and vulnerable, especially in underserved areas.
• Clinicians – Lack of continuous, accurate hemodynamic data limits proactive care, forcing reactive hospitalizations or reliance on invasive, costly implants.
• Health systems – High readmission rates drive billions in avoidable costs and CMS penalties, but scalable, non-invasive monitoring solutions are still lacking. 

Proposed Solutions 

• Non-invasive monitoring – A wrist-worn, software-based system (using smartwatches + BP cuffs) delivers clinical-grade heart function data in under a minute, rivaling invasive implants.
• Smart technology – Digital twin modeling and patented algorithms convert everyday signals (ECG, PPG, BP) into accurate hemodynamic metrics with proven validation against catheterization.
• Seamless integration – Results flow to clinician dashboards and EHRs with alerts for early intervention, while patients see simple green/yellow/red feedback.  Affordable and scalable – Costs a fraction of implantables, works with existing RPM workflows, and can reach millions of patients, including underserved populations. 

Company: Hemoral Inc. 

Title: Real-Time Postoperative Bleeding Monitoring via Wearable Optical Patch with EHR Integration 

Goal: 

Unmet Needs 

• Delayed detection – Current reliance on labs and visual checks misses up to 80% of bleeds until patients become symptomatic, leading to higher morbidity and late interventions.
• Clinical limitations – Surgeons and nurses lack real-time, continuous tools, monitoring is intermittent, labor-intensive, and dependent on late vital sign changes.
• Costly impact – Postoperative bleeds drive excess transfusions, reoperations, readmissions, and value-based reimbursement penalties, adding $5K–$15K per case.

Proposed Solutions 

• Continuous monitoring – A lightweight, wearable optical patch tracks hemoglobin and blood flow in real time, replacing intermittent lab draws and visual checks.
• Smart alerts & integration – Built-in alarms and seamless EHR connectivity provide immediate, actionable data for nurses and clinicians.
• Clinical & economic impact – Enables earlier bleed detection (4–6 hours faster), reduces nurse workload, prevents costly readmissions, and shortens hospital stays.

ACME (Atlanta Center for Microsystems Engineered) 

Company: Prompt Dx 

Title: Prompt Point-of-care Fingerstick HIV Viral Load Test Development 

Goal: 

• People living with HIV require routine viral load monitoring to assess treatment response and detect failure. However, access to viral load testing remains limited in decentralized settings due to the need for venous blood collection, centralized lab infrastructure, and long turnaround times.
• A microsystem-based point-of-care (POC) HIV viral load test that uses fingerstick whole blood, integrated into a self-contained cartridge and portable device. The system performs sample preparation, nucleic acid amplification, and quantitative detection in under one hour.

Company: BugSee 

Title: Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic Testing Device 

Goal: 

• Sepsis is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent treatment, yet current diagnostics take too long — typically 2–5 days — forcing clinicians to use broad-spectrum antibiotics empirically. Need accurate identification of pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility.
• The BugSee platform addresses this by enabling culture-independent diagnostics and antibiotic susceptibility testing directly from whole blood in under two hours.

Company: Kephera Dx 

Title: MiCRIA™ Chagas – A Microsystems-Based Rapid Immunoassay Platform for Chagas Disease 

Goal: 

• Chagas disease remains a significant public health challenge due to the lack of accurate, accessible, and rapid diagnostic tools.
• Kephera Diagnostics has developed an initial functional prototype of the MiCRIA™ diagnostic platform, a modular point-of-care system composed of a disposable laminated microfluidic cassette, a compact battery-powered reader and fluorescent europium-based immunoassay reagents.

Company: Scout  

Title: Rapid Molecular Diagnostic for STI Home Testing 

Goal: 

• Only one STI (Chlamydia/gonorrhea, Ct/Ng) test has received an FDA clearance for home testing (Visby), which is limited to vaginal swabs only and utilizes a complex, disposable instrument containing microfluidics and integrated sensors, increasing the complexity of manufacturing and the cost per test ($75). There currently exists no option for rapid testing for Ct/Ng which is affordable (cost of a copay) and can be done outside the clinic.
• The Scout system consists of an ultra-portable, reusable device (Scout Hub), single-use test kits, and a connected mobile app (Scout Connect). Scout tests leverage our proprietary isothermal chemistry, which offers an average test time of under 20 minutes, PCR-level detection and differentiation of up to 6 targets in a single off-the- shelf tube.

Company: PerceptaMed 

Title: Detecting Silent Aspiration at the Bedside 

Goal: 

• Aspiration pneumonia remains a significant clinical concern in the U.S., with 300,000–600,000 cases annually, a 10% mortality rate, and an estimated $18 billion in healthcare costs.
• A wearable device that uses microsystem technology and machine learning to enable sensitive, real-time bedside detection and continuous monitoring of silent aspiration. Unlike existing tools, our device is non-invasive, portable, and designed for personalized monitoring.

Company: Kompass Dx 

Title: Blood-based POCT Infertility Diagnostic Device (IDA System) 

Goal: 

• Access to fertility care remains constrained by financial and geographic barriers, as most fertility clinics are concentrated in metropolitan areas and many patients must pay out of pocket due to limited coverage.
• Kompass Diagnostics aims to improve patient access to fertility treatment through a first-in-class rapid point of care hormone analyzer. The system consists of a disposable cartridge and a handheld analyzer to simultaneously quantify estradiol, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone from capillary or venous whole blood samples within five minutes.

Company: Ricovr Health 

Title: POCT Plasmonic fiber-optic Absorbance Biosensor (P-FAB) 

Goal: 

• Despite the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality associated with gestational hypertension disorders, such as pre- eclampsia (PE), there is not an accurate, reliable, and low-cost diagnostic assay for early screening or detection.
• Ricovr Healthcare has developed an ultrasensitive point-of-care diagnostic platform for performing automated, rapid (<10 minutes) immunoassays with minimal user handling. The platform is based on Ricovr’s patented plasmonic fiber-optic absorbance biosensor technology and embodied in a handheld, low-cost, automated reader device and disposable microfluidic cartridges which enables point-of-care use in a variety of settings. 

Company: Portable Diagnostic Systems 

Title: Integrity-1 Analysis System – Lab-on-a-Chip Device for the Detection of Drugs 

Goal: 

• Drug overdose deaths have risen steadily each year since 1999. The urgency for rapid, high-quality toxicology testing has never been greater.
• The Integrity-1 Analysis System is an innovative, portable lab-on-a-chip platform designed to meet this critical need. Paired with an AI-enabled analyzer, the system delivers lab-quality, quantitative results from just a single drop of saliva or blood—typicallywithin five minutes. Its broad test menu and ultra-low sample volume requirements uniquely position it as a transformative solution for toxicology testing. 

C-THAN (Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases at Northwestern)

Company: Baebies, Inc. 

Title: Accessible, User-friendly HIV Viral Load Test for Low-resource Settings 

Goal: 

• HIV viral load testing is critically important for effective management, treatment, and prevention of HIV infection.
• Baebies is developing a low-cost, portable analyzer for low-resource health care settings. The analyzer termed KEEPER is driven using Baebies’ digital microfluidic technology and will report results in 20 minutes using a CLIA-waivable workflow from whole blood.

Academic Institution: University of Nevada, Reno  

Title: Point of care diagnostic tools for HBV/HDV superinfections in HIV patients 

Goal: 

• Co-infection with HBV and HDV leads to a markedly accelerated progression to severe liver disease and higher mortality, making rapid diagnostic testing for these viruses essential to improve survival.
• Developing two low-cost, point-of-care lateral flow immunoassays one for HBcrAg to monitor chronic hepatitis B progression and another for HDV antibodies to detect HBV/HDV co-infection.

Company: Intuitive Biosciences 

Title: Determining critical test parameters for HIV-EV, an at-home lateral flow test that will reduce the window period for detection HIV infection 

Goal: 

• There is a growing need for earlier detection of HIV for PrEP initiation and monitoring.
• Antigen-only, extracellular vesicle based, HIV-EV Lateral flow at-home test aimed at reducing the window period for HIV detection to a laboratory-based test.

PORTENT (Center for Point of Care e Technologies for Nutrition, Infection, and Cancer)

Company: Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health 

Title: Advancing Pre-eclampsia Diagnosis: A Novel Point-of-Care Biomarker Assessment Tool 

Goal: 

Portable, low-cost point-of-care test using PlGF and sFlt-1 biomarkers to enable early detection of pre-eclampsia without specialized equipment. 

• Potential Impact: Targets critical maternal health challenge; early screening can dramatically improve global outcomes.
• Translational Readiness: Builds on validated AnemiaPhone platform and detailed workplan for rapid adaptation.
• Team & Fit: Multidisciplinary team with proven success translating diagnostics like AnemiaPhone and NutriPhone. 

Company: Latde Diagnostics 

Title: Paper-based antibiotic susceptibility test for urinary tract infections 

Goal: 

Metabolic-labeling lateral flow test rapidly determines antibiotic susceptibility of urinary 

tract infections without instruments. 

• Potential Impact: Improves UTI management and antibiotic stewardship, especially in resource-limited settings.
• Translational Readiness: Enhanced design and prior engagement suggest readiness for commercialization.
• Team & Fit: Dedicated PI with extensive training underscores commitment to translation. 

Company: RT MitroDx 

Title: Fully Sustainable, Self-Contained Heating and Reporting Solution to Replace Batteries in Point-of-Care Diagnostics 

Goal:  

Single-use, sustainable molecular testing system uses paper-cell batteries and printed components to deliver instrument-free diagnostics. 

• Potential Impact: Enables low-cost, eco-friendly diagnostics while reducing electronic waste.
• Translational Readiness: Leverages established printed electronics with clear path to Strep A prototype within two years.
• Team & Fit: Led by renowned diagnostic innovator; strong sustainability vision. 

Company: Nutrisense 

Title: Personalized Metabolic Monitoring & Coaching Platform Using Biosensors and AI to Prevent and Reverse Prediabetes 

Goal:

Combines continuous glucose monitors, AI analytics and tele-nutrition coaching to personalize interventions and prevent progression from prediabetes to diabetes.

• Potential Impact: Empowers individuals to prevent diabetes through data-driven lifestyle adjustments.
• Translational Readiness: Integrates existing sensors and telehealth models with path to broad adoption.
• Team & Fit: Industry-driven team; needs clearer LMIC alignment and collaboration with CPNH. 

Company: Intelligenome 

Title: Rapid tuberculosis diagnosis from respiratory or blood samples by a low cost, portable lab-in-tube assay 

Goal: 

Lab-in-tube assay with handheld device detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in respiratory or blood samples with automated readout. 

• Potential Impact: Could drastically simplify and lower cost of TB diagnosis in high-burden settings.
• Translational Readiness: Preliminary data and prior breakthrough clearance signal strong translational potential.
• Team & Fit: Seasoned team with commercialization experience aligns with PORTENT capabilities. 

Company: Curie Dx 

Title: StrepAI: Expanding Point-of-Care Strep Throat Screening for Global Deployment Readiness 

Goal: 

Computer-vision smartphone app predicts strep throat from images, with planned adaptation to Android and Spanish. 

• Potential Impact: Low-cost strep screening could reduce antibiotic misuse and improve access.
• Translational Readiness: Existing deployments make adaptation feasible for near-term translation.
• Team & Fit: Venture-backed startup with moderate LMIC focus; collaboration with Weill adds strengths. 

For more information about POCTRN, visit Cimit.org