Sample of the portable potassium ion self-measurement device presented by THEDONEE at BIO KOREA 2022 │ Filming by AVING News

THEDONEE (CEO Kangwon Lee) participated in BIO KOREA 2022 held at COEX, Seoul from May 11 to 13. THEDONEE is a company that integrates cutting-edge science technologies such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, medicine, and advanced engineering to develop various medical devices, including portable blood-based potassium measurement equipment. The company aspires to become a global leader in the medical device industry beyond Korea.

An official from THEDONEE explained their key technologies at the event.

Q1. Company Introduction

THEDONEE, founded in 2020, is a startup and venture company developing in vitro diagnostic devices, functional anti-cancer drugs, and 3D cell culture platforms. CEO Kangwon Lee is a professor at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology. The company develops products based on existing technologies through faculty entrepreneurship aiming for commercialization.
THEDONEE plans to launch a 3D cell culture platform kit in the latter half of 2022 and a portable medical device for potassium ion measurement without place or time constraints for kidney failure patients by the latter half of 2023.

Q2. Main Technology Featured at the Exhibition

Their near-commercialization product is the portable potassium self-measurement device called Gnosis-K. Similar to how diabetic patients easily check blood sugar anywhere, chronic kidney disease patients can conveniently measure blood potassium ion concentration from a single drop of fingertip blood.
Previously, potassium measurement required hospital visits and blood draws, creating time and cost burdens for patients. THEDONEE’s core technology alleviates these burdens with a portable device.

Demonstration video of the portable potassium ion self-measurement device (above) and 3D cell culture kit │ Filming by AVING News

They also introduced a 3D cell culture kit called TranSPHERO, targeted for 2022 release. It enables easy spheroid formation by common cell handling methods. Traditional drug development often relied on 2D cell cultures or animal testing, but these had limitations due to different environments from the human body. The trend is moving towards 3D cultures, and THEDONEE is developing convenient plasticware products to facilitate this.

Q3. Preparation for Hospital-Linked Testing Systems

THEDONEE is also developing an app linked with their portable potassium ion device. The app will provide self-management manuals and guidelines such as hospital visits in case of dangerously high potassium levels, easing emergency burdens and helping patient management.

Q4. Future Plans

Short term, they aim to secure sales through experimental consumables launching this year and expand their medical device segment by late next year or early the year after. They are also considering overseas expansion.
Long term, they plan joint clinical trials and licensing out of their functional anti-cancer drugs in development.

View of the THEDONEE booth participating in BIO KOREA 2022 │ Photo provided by Doosan

BIO KOREA 2022, now in its 17th year, is hosted by Korea Health Industry Development Institute and Chungcheongbuk-do Province. It is a global bio-health international convention in Korea attracting world-class scholars, business experts, and companies from biopharma, medical devices, cosmetics, food, and other health industries.

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