Mount Sinai Venture Named to Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021

Kantaro Biosciences among top-ranked in the Joint Venture category

Mount Sinai Health System announced today that Kantaro Biosciences, LLC, a joint venture with RenalytixAI, has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” for 2021 and ranked first in the Joint Ventures category. Mount Sinai launched Kantaro in May 2020 to develop and scale production and distribution of a test kit to measure the presence and precise levels of COVID-19 antibodies. The test is based on technology created by a team of internationally recognized scientists and clinicians, including members of the Departments of Microbiology and Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“Thanks to the efforts of Mount Sinai scientists, researchers, and clinicians, we know much more about this virus, how to test for it and treat COVID-19,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mount Sinai Health System. “Kantaro was born out of Mount Sinai’s pioneering spirit to push the boundaries of science and medicine, to find solutions for the global community and greater good. We are honored that Kantaro is being recognized as ‘Most Innovative.’ Mount Sinai and Kantaro will not stop until this pandemic ends and we are better prepared for the next one.”

The Kantaro test measures the presence and precise level of IgG antibodies—a type of antibody produced as part of the immune response to COVID-19. Unlike most other antibody tests, the test reports a numerical answer, not just a yes/no qualitative result. It can be used in any authorized clinical testing laboratory without the need for proprietary equipment.

Kantaro achieved a variety of milestones this year, including a commercial partnership with Bio-Techne Corporation to manufacture the Kantaro tests at scale; receiving CE marking, the European Union’s (EU) mandatory conformity marking for two versions of its test, known as COVID-SeroKlir and COVID-SeroIndex; and securing Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA for COVID-SeroKlir. Kantaro also established a global footprint in the United Kingdom, Europe, and South America through strategic partnerships with EKF Diagnostics, a global leader in diagnostic testing, and Atrys Health, a biomedical company dedicated to providing diagnostic services and medical treatments of excellence.

The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. This year’s Most Innovative Companies list honors 463 businesses from 29 countries that have found a way to be resilient in the past year and impact their industries and culture as a whole. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.“

We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from Fast Company,” said Erik Lium, PhD, President, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners and Chief Commercial Innovation Officer, Mount Sinai Health System. “This reflects our commitment to patient-centric innovation and to rapidly advancing solutions to address critical unmet healthcare needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”