FLASH VetID™ Wins Gold Medal at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva

Byadmin

We are proud to announce that FLASH Diagnostics has been awarded a Gold Medal at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, held from 11 to 15 March 2026 at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland.

The World’s Leading Invention Exhibition

The International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva is the world’s largest annual event dedicated to inventions. This year’s edition brought together more than 1,000 inventions from about 40 countries and regions, presented by companies, universities, research centres, and independent inventors. It is held under the patronage of the Swiss Confederation, the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Every entry is evaluated by an international jury of more than 100 experts.

We presented the technologies behind FLASH VetID™ to the jury and to a remarkably diverse audience: professors, industry experts, veterinarians, students, and families. Seeing a molecular diagnostic technology explained to such a wide public, and understood, was one of the most rewarding parts of the week.

The Invention: Molecular Testing That Fits in a Consult Room

FLASH VetID™ is built on proprietary pioneering technologies. Conventional PCR needs precise thermal cycling, specialised instruments, and trained operators, which is why it has largely stayed in reference laboratories. Our platform brings the same molecular principle to the point of care through three design choices:

  • Integrated sample preparation. The SampleDirect cartridge takes a biological sample to PCR-ready nucleic acid in about 5 minutes, without a separate extraction workflow.
  • Isothermal amplification in a single-use cartridge. The Test Cartridge contains ready-to-use reagents, and amplification takes place at one constant temperature. The result is revealed in the Test Cartridge itself via a lateral flow strip, just like in an at-home rapid test, without requiring expensive analyzers.
  • Flexible, compact instrument. FLASH Base™ is a palm size device that runs up to four independent tests simultaneously. This allows compact, maintenance-free instruments instead of a thermocycler.

Why It Matters

  • Speed: a result in about 35 minutes from sample to answer, in time to inform decisions during the consultation instead of days later.
  • Sensitivity of nucleic acid detection in a familiar lateral-flow-style readout.
  • Complex sample types: designed to work with matrices such as blood, faeces, and body fluids, not only saliva or swabs.
  • Simplicity: no specialised training, and test kits stored at room temperature (4–25 °C), with no cold chain.
  • Breadth: a (expanding) menu covering 20 canine, feline, and avian pathogens, with a platform that can extend to other sectors such as food safety and environmental monitoring.

For clinics, this means faster treatment decisions, more targeted therapy, and less reliance on empirical prescribing. For the wider field, it shows that molecular diagnostics does not have to be tied to a central laboratory.

Thank You

The Gold Medal recognises the work of our whole team and the research foundation behind it. We would like to thank The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for giving us the opportunity to take part alongside many impressive Hong Kong-built innovations, and the organisers and jury of the Exhibition for their recognition.

We will keep building on this momentum as we expand FLASH VetID™ to more clinics and markets worldwide. VetID™ is supporting small animal clinical care at our next stop in Birmingham, UK.

Similar Posts