COVID-19 and beyond

Dependable swab processing workflows, even amid a crisis

Swab and swab processing workflows remained unchanged for decades. When the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world, antiquated traditional swabs were in short supply due to broken supply chains. Swab samples that made it into the laboratory were backlogged as soaring test demand funneled through labor-limited manual workflows.

Revolutionizing laboratory workflows

Rhinostics was founded during this crisis to rethink swab technologies and make a positive difference in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We worked with an elite group of partners to build better swabs and to address processing limitations through automation. With all partners united by a singular goal, this unprecedented project culminated in the development and commercialization of the RHINOstic™ Automated Nasal Swab.

Make a difference

Automated workflows and RHINOstic Automated Nasal Swabs provide critical workflow efficiencies that make a difference when patient health and wellbeing are at stake, even during a crisis like COVID-19

"We should be flooding the system with tests to determine the penetrance of the asymptomatic spread."

-- Dr. Anthony Fauci, 'Dr. Fauci: 'We Should Be Flooding The System With Tests' | MTP Daily | MSNBC', YouTube, November 20, 2020.

Improve efficiency up to 10x

The RHINOstic Automated Nasal Swab in an automated workflow increases swab sample throughput by up to 10x – without increasing labor resources – compared to manual swab test processing methods.

"COVID-19 shined a light on the bottleneck of moving large volumes of patient samples into high throughput assay workflows. Even with the heroic efforts in expanding floor space and adding staff, it was clear that the number of tests that could be processed was still short of meeting demand. It was this specific workflow constraint that we wanted to solve and the RHINOstic™ was born."

-- Rhinostics co-founders Richard Novak, PhD and Michael Springer, PhD.

Save valuable time

The RHINOstic Automated Nasal Swab in an automated workflow provides valuable time savings during swab sample collection as well as accessioning and decapping steps to get more done and get results out the door faster.

CURRENT STATE

1.5 Million

SARS-CoV-2 tests per day

WHAT WE NEED

4 Million

SARS-CoV-2 tests per day

Protect staff

The RHINOstic Automated Nasal Swab workflow increases swab sample processing throughput while protecting lab workers from virus exposure and repetitive motion injury.

“Nearly a year into a pandemic that has claimed more than 276,000 American lives, some 193 million tests for the coronavirus have been processed nationwide. Millions more will be needed to detect and contain the virus in the months ahead. Behind these staggering figures are thousands of scientists who have been working nonstop to identify the coronavirus in the people it infects. Across the nation, testing teams are grappling with burnout, repetitive-stress injuries and an overwhelming sense of doom.”

-- ‘Nobody Sees Us’, New York Times, December 2, 2020.

Test at scale

Automated workflows that incorporate the RHINOstic Automated Nasal Swab are instantly scaled up or down in response to SARS-CoV-2 test demand.

"…we really need to figure out how to massively scale up these tests, drive down costs and do it in a timeframe that’s actually commensurate with the continued problems that are associated with this pandemic today."

-- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Press Conference with Michael Mina, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, October 6, 2021.

Gain confidence

The rapid, injection-molded RHINOstic Automated Nasal Swab manufacturing process is independent of traditional swab supply chains that were disrupted early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb pointed out on Twitter on Monday that a lack of swabs could be the new bottleneck even as the number of sites with the capacity to test has increased, showcasing that the weakest link in the supply chain becomes the limiting factor."

-- ‘Testing Swabs Run In Short Supply As Makers Try To Speed Up Production’, NPR, March 18, 2020.

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