Stockholm, September 1, 2020:
Swedish medtech start-up Capitainer hires VWR veteran Tom Sölch as COO amid mounting interest in novel qDBS dried blood spot sampling system for COVID-19 testing and other key applications
Swedish medtech start-up Capitainer today announced the appointment of Tom Sölch as Chief Operating Officer. Sölch brings a wealth of experience in medtech sales and operations, most recently with global laboratory supplier VWR. He joins Capitainer as the company enters a period of rapid expansion following the signing of key distribution agreements in the US and Europe for its highly accurate qDBS dried blood spot sampling system.
Sölch commented: “Capitainer’s high level of innovation combined with my background in business development makes this a perfect move for me and I look forward to guiding Capitainer in moving from start-up to an operational business.”
Christopher Aulin, CEO of Capitainer added: “We are delighted to have attracted such an experienced COO as Tom in this critical stage of Capitainer’s growth. Interest is strong across the wide range of both existing and new applications such as therapeutic drug monitoring, genomics anti-doping testing we had originally identified. In addition, we are working with several groups involved in COVID-19 testing and planning to launch antibody testing in Sweden together with several health care regions.”
Capitainer’s qDBS system is designed to enable patients to collect their own volume defined dried blood spot at home. The patented smart chip ensures exact sample volumes of 10ul with low CV, independent of haematocrit. Patients simply place their finger with a drop of blood over the inlet port on the qDBS card which automatically fills a microchannel with the required amount and discards any excess. The potential for human error is thus completely eliminated. Subsequently, the blood volume contained in the microchannel automatically transfers to the specimen collection membrane, forming an accurate and high quality dried blood spot sample, preserved for quantitative bioanalysis. The filled card can then be safely transported to the point of testing without the need for refrigeration or specialised packaging.
