Cellia Science was formed in 2021 to develop and commercialize blood cell analyzers that provide rapid, actionable blood cell counts at the point of care. The ability to obtain blood cell diagnostics at the point of care as well as in dispersed care models is a substantial market opportunity in the $7.5B hematology diagnostics market. The foundation of Cellia’s blood cell analyzer is based on label-free deep-UV imaging technology exclusively licensed from Georgia Institute of Technology. The Company’s lead device will provide blood cell counts for chemotherapy patients at risk of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia, conditions which may be caused by cancer or cancer treatments. Follow-on versions of the technology will be applied to additional applications with significant unmet need.

The Problem: Currently, blood cell differential assays rely on highly technical equipment in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certified labs. This laboratory testing path is widely accepted and considered to be the gold standard; however, this approach relies on complex workflows involving multiple reagents, extensive instrument calibration and maintenance, and operation by highly trained personnel. This results in long turn-around times that delay administration of critical treatments, such as chemotherapy, anti-psychotic medications, and blood transfusions. In addition to long turn-around times, this method of testing ties patients to the hospital. Currently, 24% of patients travel over an hour for cancer treatment, and these patients have higher mortality. New programs to provide some cancer care services in the home have improved patient outcomes and reduced costs, but lack of portable, point-of-care blood testing remains a barrier to shifting some types of treatments to where patients reside.

The Solution: Cellia is developing a blood cell analyzer that will be CLIA-waived and used at the point-of-care by any medical technician. This device utilizes the inherent absorption of UV light by biomolecules within cells to generate high quality, label-free images. The use of low wavelength light to directly visualize biomolecules enables better resolution than the traditional method of staining with specialized dyes. Cells are identified, classified, and quantified with machine learning-based algorithms for automated analysis without technician input. Cellia’s analyzer will be robust, portable, and rapid, enabling expansion of dispersed care for improved patient outcomes and greater cost efficiency. The initial device will be targeted for detection of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The underlying technology can also be extended for use in other blood cell analysis applications, including such as evaluating patients with gastrointestinal issues or providing quality assessments of bone marrow aspirations.

Market Opportunity: Blood cell differentials specifically for patients at risk of neutropenia or thrombocytopenia represent a significant market opportunity, with ~20M tests annually in the US, for a total addressable market of $320M ($1B worldwide). Use of our deep-UV imaging technology for other apllications will allow Cellia to enter additional segments of the $7.5B hematology diagnostics market and beyond. In addition, Cellia’s technology is well-positioned for use in the growing convenient care and dispersed care markets, which prioritize low-maintenance devices that can be operated with minimal training.