People with chronic kidney disease or those at risk of heart disease are greatly affected by a potassium imbalance in the body. These can even be life-threatening. Wearable glucose monitors are now commonplace and are changing the lives of diabetics, but potassium monitoring is still in its infancy, just as difficult to perform. Now startups are emerging to solve the problem.
Proton Intelligence is a Canadian-based company developing a continuous potassium monitoring product. A $6.95 million seed funding round led by SOSV in the Bay Area has now closed. Clinical trials are underway for the product, which will be launched in 2025.
Proton is developing a small device that will be inserted under the skin to monitor potassium levels. It can monitor patients' potassium levels and lifestyle choices; It will connect to a smartphone app to get notifications if you move out of a safe distance based on lifestyle choices like food or medication.
A clinician dashboard will provide a view of a patient's potassium trends, and care teams can use the data to adjust treatments. In-clinic potassium testing can be significantly reduced, saving time and money.
The company was co-founded by the CEO. Sahan Ranamukhaarachchi (based in Vancouver) and CSO Victor Cadarso (based in Melbourne).
The two founded the company after working on wearable biosensors as researchers in Switzerland 10 years ago. Ranamukhaarachchi continued to explore skin-based drug delivery (Microdermics) while becoming the Cadarso Professor of Micro and nanosensors at Monash University in Melbourne. Therefore, Proton has a commercial-focused headquarters in Canada and Australia. It has a wholly owned R&D-focused subsidiary in Melbourne.
Ranamukhaarachchi told TechCrunch that the team conducted more than 100 in-depth interviews with care teams to research their product: “These highlight the dire consequences when managing potassium levels, because delays in monitoring lead to hospitalizations, discontinuation of therapy, and even sudden cardiac death,” he said.
Patients have a “constant fear of potassium imbalance; He described how he told patients that questions such as “whether to eat a banana or have a blood test” could harm their health or even endanger their lives.
The problem is very clear. About 10% of the world's population. Affected. Millions die each year from chronic kidney disease due to lack of affordable treatment.
Proton is competing with other emerging companies in the sector.
AliveCor Potassium levels are indirectly estimated by detecting cardiac activity (it has raised $154.3 million to date). Alio ($46 million raised) Performs potassium monitoring in dialysis patients. Renalise 1 million Euros of potassium from Spain measured via finger prick blood samples. Of course, there are many others.
This, Proton's founders say, will make its solution even more scalable: “No other technology offers this level of usability, precision, and practical impact right now,” says Ranamukhaarachchi.
In a statement, Mohan S. lyer, general partner at SOSV, said, “We are proud to be the first institutional investor in Proton Intelligence.
Also investing in this seed round is We Venture Capital. Tenmile, LongeVC, 15th Rock Exor and Trampoline Venture Partners.