Dr. Vivek Manoharan, and his Singapore-Indian start-up, Test At Home Pte Ltd. (TAH) / 221B Biomedical Pvt. Ltd., have developed a new testing method that makes sample collection much easier. This will contribute to an increase of detected cases, treatment rates and lower mortality and infection transmission.

Similar to a lollipop-like COVID-19 test he created during the global pandemic, Blow-Pop is a tool that looks like a lollipop and it is used like a chewing gum. It is very simple to use and can be easily distributed in low resource settings.

This new testing method is a prime example of how putting the end user at the center of innovation can result in simple yet effective ways to approach problem-solving, an aspect widely explored in human-centered design thinking and the UNLEASH methodology. 

Vivek joined UNLEASH 2018 as a Talent, and brought his start-up to the first edition of UNLEASH Plus, hosted in Shenzhen, China: “I owe UNLEASH for making a shy scientist into a 5 million-dollar company-holding entrepreneur. It all started in 2018, when I joined UNLEASH Singapore as a Talent. There, I came up with an idea of using chewing gum for strictly anonymous HIV screening. The kudos, confidence and appreciation, I got in that Lab enabled me to quit my job and start my entrepreneurship journey by scaling the same idea with the help of accelerators that I came to know through my UNLEASH network.”

Supported by India Health Fund’s, an initiative from Tata Trusts, this innovation will be ready for roll-out in the next two years. You can read more here.