Editor’s Note: Cupid’s Cup is a business competition hosted by the Dingman Center at the University of Maryland. The competition is open to student and alumni entrepreneurs alike who have surpassed the business plan stage and now own and operate their very own ventures. Diagnostic anSERS Inc. is one of six companies competing in the Cupid’s Cup finals which will be held on April 5, 2013. To learn more about Cupid’s Cup, check out their website here.
Imagine a portable sensor equipped with the ability to detect even the smallest iotas of drugs, explosives, pesticides, and the like in food and water. Now imagine if that sensor could be created in any location throughout the world with the use of a modified inkjet printer. And finally, imagine if you could purchase all of that at a cheap, affordable price at around $5. Yes, this product exists, and yes, it's one revolutionary idea that is sure to change the pharmaceutical industry as we know it today. World, meet Diagnostic anSER Inc., a University of Maryland-based student startup company producing inexpensive inkjet printed Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)-active substrates.
How the Team Came to Be
Third-year University of Maryland graduate student Sean Virgile and his partner fifth-year University of Maryland graduate student Eric Hoppmann met by chance in the same lab at school. Noting their joint passion for bioengineering, they sought out to invent a technique that would not only be easy to use, but also available to purchase for a reasonable price. The technique referred to as SERS was developed out of frustration with the competition where products similar to what Virgile and Hoppmann were creating had a price tag of a whopping $105 a piece with everything either disposable or for single use only. But rather than make customers pay that hefty price, Virgile and Hoppmann instead wanted to charge $5 or less for their creation, an attractive fee to say the least. Setting out with that idea in mind, Virgile and Hoppmann founded Diagnostic anSERS Inc., a startup that specializes in the production of a unique inkjet-printed paper.
The paper sensors created by Diagnostic anSERS Inc. are capable of detecting extremely low traces of chemical and biological molecules and can be used in a vast variety of ways to combat common problems. This includes determining the validity of pharmaceuticals, detecting explosives and illegal drugs alike at ports of entry, and contaminated food. It's a molecular fingerprinting technique that has been proven to be efficient, easy to use, and is unlike any existing techniques of its kind.
How Diagnostic anSERS Inc. Works
Here's how it works: Using the novel inkjet printer, print the ink onto the paper and use that as a sensor. Take the paper with the ink and dip it in whatever sample chemical you're attempting to decipher (i.e. cocaine, pesticides, etc.). Next, shine the Raman laser onto the paper and watch as a unique fingerprint comes up on the screen. It's the spectrum that's unique for every single molecule with cocaine looking drastically different from heroin. That's it. It's a straightforward process with miraculous results.
Why Diagnostic anSERS Inc. Will Take Over the World
It's the real world applications alone that will allow for Diagnostic anSERS Inc. to find great success. I imagine that the police and military alike will some day want to get their hands on this technique, but for now, the fact that it can be used for chemical diagnostics or chemical detection, that in itself is highly useful in today's society. According to Virgile, it's a hidden $6.4 billion market, one that they intend to tap into.
The possibilities are endless for Diagnostic anSERS Inc., especially from a practicality standpoint for the pharmaceutical industry. Virgile explained pharmaceutical drugs must go through several rounds of testing as they're being developed to make sure the chemical compound is exactly what they think it is and Diagnostic anSERS Inc., they could make that process a simple one.
How They're Making Bank
Now of course the money is where it's at, but for Diagnostic anSERS, well charging for less than $5, that's their aim. Compared to their competition which normally sells products that are $105 a piece, Diagnostic anSERS will arouse their consumers with the highly attractive price point, with selling in large quantities being the main goal.
Why Diagnostic anSERS Inc. is a Hot Startup to Watch at Cupid's Cup
While Virgile says that they won't start sales until the fall (Diagnostic anSERS Inc. is still finishing up commercialization research), they've already seen a great amount of interest in their technique. The company has won numerous awards (took third prize in the Graduate Student, Faculty and Researchers category of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute 's University of Maryland $75K Business Plan Competition, won the October 2012 Pitch Dingman competition, and has just been awarded $135,000 in funding from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships program), validating the importance and belief in their product. Clearly they will be one of the hottest startups to watch at Cupid's Cup come April 5th.
In terms of the Cupid's Cup, Virgile could not help but express his deep gratitude for the opportunity provided by the Dingman Center at the University of Maryland. He deemed it immensely advantageous.
"We want to focus on what's the best use of our time and if Cupid's Cup weren't as great as it currently is, we wouldn't be pursuing it," said Virgile.
Virgile then went on to describe the three critical areas in which he sees Cupid's Cup as a tremendous chance for every company in the running. "The prize money helps out a lot," Virgile admitted. "We don't have a lot of expenses per say, but we're bootstrapping. Next he revealed the event itself as instrumental to a startups success. "One of the hardest things to overcome as a startup is credibility - acquiring the first few thousand or tens of thousands of customers. Cupid's Cup says Kevin Plank believes in us, which makes it easier for us to acquire some semblance of credibility." Lastly, it's the connections that make the process worth it. "We eventually want to tap into the military market and Kevin Plank has great connections there. He may be able to help us."
"We wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for all of these resources at the university," concluded Virgile.
Clearly Virgile and Hoppmann alike have had rewarding experiences at the University of Maryland thus far, fulfilling their dreams to start their own company.
As mentioned before,Virgile and Hoppmann's startup is one of six in the running to win the highly coveted Cupid’s Cup hosted by the Dingman Center at the University of Maryland. If you’re interested in meeting the founders, see the product in person, or just want to check out the event out of pure curiosity, make sure to RSVP for Cupid’s Cup here.
