Dr. John Berberian lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his fiance and 3 rescue dogs. He is an investor and CEO of healthcare-related entities. In this Interview with TechBullion, Dr. John will be discussing the cutting-edge multiplex PCR testing technology by 3D Medical Supplies, LLC and how this innovation is making a difference since the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is 3D Medical Supplies, LLC and what unique services do you provide?
3D Medical Supplies is a company I founded to help combat supply chain issues for critical testing supplies related to the Covid 19 pandemic. We engineered and manufactured NasoPharyngeal Swabs and the Viral Transport Medium and tubes they are transported in.
3D Medical Supplies is affiliated with Millenia Advanced Scientific, please give us a better understanding of how these names work together and what inspired this medical business?
Millenia Advanced Scientific is a high complexity laboratory, built from the ground up specifically to test for Covid 19. With the high throughput Rt-PCR units, we are able to test thousands of samples a day with a 24-hour turnaround. Millenia began to run out of Covid 19 testing supplies as most other laboratories did due to supply chain issues with China. China exports over 90% of the world’s medical supplies and with China being locked down, there was no way to purchase additional supplies in the US. That is how 3D Medical Supplies was born. Out of our own laboratories’ necessity for critical testing supplies in the height of the pandemic.
Could you give us a breakdown of the specific industry solutions you provide at 3D Medical Supplies, LLC?
Sure, we are one of the only high-capacity US manufacturers of Viral Transport Media. This is the solution that is filled in 10ml tubes that the Nasal swab is placed in for transport to a laboratory for testing. It is used to test for many different types of infectious disease and the most necessary of recent is Covid 19.
Please tell us more about the Multiplex PCR Testing Technology, how it works, what are the advantages, and what makes it special?
Multiplex PCR Testing Technology is quite remarkable. Typically one patient sample is loaded into 3 wells on a PCR plate with MonoPlexing. Multiplex allows the patient’s sample to be loaded into only one well. So this allows the PCR machine to run 3x more patient samples. It was truly a game-changer during the height of the pandemic.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic created a huge demand for the COVID-19 testing labs. How big is this market and how popular is the use of the cutting-edge multiplex PCR testing technology?
The demand was so high that both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) prioritized and expedited the licensing and credentialing of Covid-19 Labs. This process which would typically take 4-6 months was completed 1-2 months. This was the only way the country was able to tackle the millions of tests being done daily. Most of these new labs and labs that existed before Covid-19 adopted Multiplex technology. The more experienced laboratories with the right scientific staff like ours were able to adopt it very early on.
Could you give us an insight into the statistics and current state of the USA COVID-19?
The latest stats show the new daily infection rate averaging 50,000 cases a day (mostly due to the Omicron ba.2 variant). This is drastically lower than the 880,000 cases a day when it peaked in January due to the original Omicron variant. I would say with certainty that we are in a much better position today than we were then. However, people still need to be vigilant with their safety practices as new variants are undoubtedly on the horizon. These new variants and/or surges are predicted to occur in late fall/early winter when the weather begins to get colder.
In which locations and places has 3D Medical Supplies been most helpful with PCR Testing, any use cases or success stories to share with us?
3D Medical Supplies was extremely helpful to Millenia Advanced Scientific and other local laboratories in dire need of PCR testing supplies. We all helped each other during the shortages and 3D Medical Supplies really stepped up to the challenge when it came to manufacturing Nasopharyngeal Swabs and Viral transport. We made sure those labs had the supplies they needed to keep the public safe.
What are you currently working on at 3D Medical Supplies, LLC and what is next on your roadmap. Do you have any available opportunities for partnerships or investors?
We have some very exciting news at 3D Medical Supplies, now renamed to 3D MedSupply and Manufacturing, LLC and officially incorporated in the state of Florida. We are currently in the final planning stages of our expansion into an additional 7k sq ft facility. This new buildout will be ready for our 510k submission so 3D can continue manufacturing and selling Nasopharyngeal swabs and Viral Transport Medium post-Public Health Emergency is officially over.
Any other information you would like to share with our readers today?
Stay tuned for more to come from 3D MedSupply and Manufacturing.
