Noze, a startup specialising in breath-based diagnostics, has secured a $5 million equity investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This investment marks the first time the Gates Foundation has made an equity investment in Canada. The funding follows two previous grants from the foundation, bringing its total contribution to $6.8 million.
Canada-based Noze will use the investment for the further development of Noze’s disease detection platform for deployment in low and middle-income countries, where it promises to significantly impact the fight against infectious diseases.
“We’re thrilled the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting our efforts to deliver a radically new approach to diagnostics,” Noze CEO Karim Aly said. “This investment will help Noze advance its mission to improve global health by transforming the way healthcare is delivered, ensuring that everyone, regardless of location or economic status, has access to state-of-the-art diagnostic tools.”
How does it change things?
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that tuberculosis (TB) affects approximately 10 million people each year and causes 1.5 million deaths, ranking it as the deadliest infectious disease worldwide. Despite being preventable and treatable, TB screening in these regions has historically been hampered by limited access, high costs, and slow results.
On the other hand, traditional diagnostic tools are not only more invasive but also tend to be costly and involve long wait times due to specialised equipment and heavy demand. This has exacerbated the healthcare accessibility gap, particularly in underserved and rural areas. Noze is committed to changing these issues.
Founded by Dr. Ashok Masilamani in 2014, the Canadian startup offers the world’s most advanced diagnostic breathalyser called DiagNoze. It is fully integrated, cost-effective, and delivers results in real-time from any point of care. It is capable of detecting and identifying odours in real-world settings with unparalleled accuracy. However, DiagNoze is designed to transcend geographical and economic boundaries, enabling earlier diagnosis, timely treatment, and improved health outcomes.
Leveraging cutting-edge machine intelligence and a sensor developed with exclusively licensed NASA technology, Noze is committed to enhancing human health and wellbeing. Its mission is to improve patient outcomes by enabling real-time disease detection at any point-of-care by using their technology to target breath-based odor biomarkers.
“Our handheld diagnostic breathalyzer, DiagNoze, uses the world’s leading and only digital odor perception technology to detect disease biomarkers in the breath,” explained Aly. “This device will allow for real-time detection of serious illnesses such as cancers and infectious diseases, along with other clinical conditions, without requiring blood draws, lab equipment, or visits to healthcare facilities. DiagNoze is a low-cost, completely noninvasive, and fully portable device that can be used in any point-of-care, even a patient’s home.”
What do we think about Noze?
The startup eyes to revolutionise the global health with its advanced breath-based diagnostic technology, DiagNoze. By providing real-time, non-invasive, and cost-effective disease detection, Noze addresses critical healthcare accessibility issues, especially in underserved regions. Leveraging cutting-edge machine intelligence and NASA-developed sensors, the company aims to enhance early diagnosis and timely treatment for serious illnesses, ultimately improving patient outcomes and transforming healthcare delivery worldwide.
