PhAST Diagnostics

About PhAST Diagnostics

PhAST Diagnostics is a healthcare technology company founded in 2017 by Dr. Kwangmin Son and Professor Roman Stocker. The company is focused on combating the global challenge of antibiotic resistance through its AI-powered diagnostic platform. The founders combine deep expertise in microbial imaging, microfluidics, and computer vision, with Dr. Son holding a PhD from MIT in mechanical and biological engineering and Professor Stocker being a recognized leader in single-cell imaging from ETH Zurich and formerly MIT.

The core of PhAST's technology is a computer vision platform that uses single-cell imaging to rapidly detect pathogens and perform phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). This approach significantly reduces the time-to-result from days to as little as 30-90 minutes by analyzing changes in single-cell pathogen phenotypes upon antibiotic exposure directly from patient samples, such as for Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). This bypasses the need for traditional, time-consuming culture and isolation steps. The platform provides clinical decision support for doctors, improves workflow for hospitals, and aims to accelerate drug development for pharmaceutical companies.

Headquartered in Boston, MA, PhAST has expanded internationally with offices in Zurich, Switzerland, and Seoul, South Korea. The company has secured strategic partnerships and collaborations with prominent institutions like the Mayo Clinic, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Seoul National University Hospital. PhAST has raised significant capital to fund its operations, including a $10.6M Series A round in January 2022, with investors like LabCorp, Naver Cloud, and SV Investment. The company has also received multiple grants, including from the NIH/NIAID Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.