A startup by the name of 6SensorLabs has raised $4 million for a sensor designed to detect gluten and other allergens found in food.
The goal for the company is to make the device available for people with Celiac Disease and other allergies, along with people choosing to go on gluten-free diets, according to TechCrunch.
Users would have to buy a disposable, one-time use unit along with the sensor. The unit would be put in their food to make sure it's safe to eat. 6SensorLabs also plans to release a mobile app so the user can pair the sensor to their mobile phone. The user would be able to share the test results for different foods with other users to let them know if certain foods are good to eat.
Gluten can be found in a variety of foods, such as toast, chicken, french fries, and in some cases, vegetables, Reviewd.com reported.
6SensorLabs said its sensor will be made available for less than $150, and that it will be able to work quickly and carefully.
15 million people in the U.S. currently have food allergies, and the lack of unreliable testing methods for allergens in food has led to over 200,000 hospital visits every year involving food allergies and sensitivity, TechCrunch reported.
The device was created at MIT by 6SensorLabs co-founders Shireen Yates and Scott Sundvor. Yates, who has been gluten-free for years, began looking into devices that could test foods for allergens at the university with Jonathan Kiel, who received a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Prior to working with Yates, Sundvor studied Mechanical Engineering at MIT and worked in early product development at Johnson & Johnson, according to TechCrunch.
Yates and Sundvor plan to use the $4 million to increase product development, as well as make the sensor available on the market early next year. The funding was provided by Upfront Ventures, SoftTech VC, Lemnos Labs, Mitch Kapor, SK Ventures and Xandex Investments.
