Austin, Texas-based EverlyWell has raised $2.5 million for an at-home lab test service and announced its public beta launch.
"Diagnostic testing is a subpar experience for the individual," EverlyWell Chief Medical Officer Dr. Murdoc Khaleghi said in a statement. "EverlyWell has developed an innovative platform that places the consumer at the center, empowering the individual to order, understand, and improve their own biomarkers. Health information is a powerful tool in preventing long-term and chronic disease, and ultimately should be accessible and understandable to all."
EverlyWell currently offers three different lab tests: food sensitivity ($199), women’s health and fertility ($399), and its elements panel ($199). For each test, EverlyWell sends the users a kit to collect samples. For example, in the food sensitivity kit, users receive an alcohol prep pad, safety lancet, protein saver 903 card, bandaid, bio hazard bag, pre-paid shipping envelope, and pre-populated requisition form.
The food sensitivity kit tests for allergies to the 96 most common foods in the American diet, including grains, dairy, nuts, and seafood, to identify possible reactive foods. The fertility test helps users understand their ability to get pregnant. Some markers measured for this test include Estradiol, Progesterone, and Luteinizing Hormone. EverlyWell's elements panel identifies whether users have adequate levels of key minerals or toxic elements, including arsenic, mercury, bromine, and iron.
Once users complete the test, it is then sent to to one of the company’s (CLIA certified) lab partners.
In the past few years, a few other digital health companies have announced mobile-enabled at-home lab test services. Here are a couple that made news in the past two years:
In November 2014, San Diego, California-based Cue raised $7.5 million for its modular at-home lab test. The product uses a sample of blood, saliva, or mucus to conduct at home versions of five different lab tests. The lineup includes tests for influenza, testosterone, vitamin D, inflammation, and fertility. The company plans to add more.
About a year later, in May 2015, another company, Welltwigs, unveiled a few fertility tracking devices. One such device, Labtwig tracks users’ hormone levels. Labtwig uses disposable sensors that can be inserted into the device to track the levels of two major hormones related to pregnancy, according to Welltwigs, called Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). The device monitors these hormones by testing a woman's urine and then sends data from the device to the Fertility Monitor app.
