Ancon Medical, Inc. has developed a disease screening technology for a home test kit, creating a service for customers to check their health conditions that’s similar to the at-home markets for DNA testing.

The Ancon Medical Home Disease Screening Kit offers the delivery of its Nanotechnology Biomarker Tagging technology into a home or clinic setting. In just 10 minutes, a user of the kit can submit a breath sample for testing that’s as easy as exhaling into the specially-designed breath sample collector.

“It can provide a vital early warning for patients, giving them a head start on treatment that could potentially be lifesaving,” says Ancon Medical Ceo Wesley Baker. “It’s not a diagnosis, but it can give you a solid indication of whether you are at risk from a potentially deadly disease.”

The test utilizes Ancon Medical’s NBT technology, which detects in a subject’s exhaled breathe the known chemical compounds, or “biomarkers,” that are associated with specific diseases. Researchers have discovered the biomarker for lung cancer and other diseases. Ancon Medical is currently developing advanced NBT screening through a specialized medical device that’s ideal for hospital, clinics or even mobile sites.

The process starts after the customer purchases the home screening kit, when the customer registers online and provides details about their own medical doctor or general practitioner they would like the results to go to.

The Ancon Medical Home Disease Screening Kit doesn’t require specialized training. The only technology needed to complete the test is a freezer. After placing the sampler in the freezer for 10 minutes, the customer breaths into the sampler’s applicator before mailing it directly to the Ancon Medical laboratory, where the results can be processed within minutes before being sent to the customer’s medical provider. Ancon Medical then alerts the medical provider and the customer that the results are available.

A key part of the process is keeping communications about the results to the medical professional assigned by the customer. The results of the test are secure and private. Ancon Medical never discloses the results of the biomarker test with the customer, only with the medical doctor or general practitioner that they have appointed. Medical providers can access the results through a secure internet server, giving indications of how much risk the potential patient faces.

“It’s important that a medical professional talk with the customer about the results so they can properly understand the data and make proper decisions on what medical tests may be needed for a thorough diagnosis,” Baker says.

The test provides customers an inexpensive method to get answers to their health questions. For example, if a customer wanted to know if their family medical history or their history of smoking was impacting their health, they currently would have to approach their medical provider and convince them to allow for hospital tests, which still may not be approved.

That process can cost as much as $5,000, while the Ancon Medical Home Disease Screening Kit could run at just $199 or less.

“With Ancon Medical’s home disease screening kit, a customer can learn more about the condition of their health without having to go through the lengthy, bureaucratic and expensive processes of getting hospital tests scheduled,” Baker said. “A simple, noninvasive test can provide the initial screening results that give customers insight into their medical condition.”

The at-home screening kit also gives private medical insurance companies a tool to help monitor and screen patients, allowing providers to create customer policies that can reward customers on their health with discounts on premiums.

To help bring this service into the market, Ancon Medical, Inc. is currently looking for strategic partners and investors.

“This is an opportunity for investors to get involved in the home health care marketplace that is set to expand as new technology offers consumers more products and services to help them monitor their medical conditions,” Baker says.