- Stockhead’s BioCurious column examines the renewed public health challenge of syphilis and the need for more accessible diagnostic testing.
- Atomo is working with the Burnet Institute on a rapid test being developed to distinguish active syphilis from previously treated infection.
- The article also profiles Atomo’s wider rapid diagnostic platform, HIV self-testing and commercial diagnostic partnerships.
Atomo Diagnostics has been featured in Stockhead’s BioCurious column, written by Tim Boreham and also published by The Australian. The article explores the renewed focus on syphilis testing and the broader opportunities for Atomo’s user-centred rapid diagnostic technology across sexual health and other testing applications.
Addressing an Unmet Need in Syphilis Testing
Syphilis remains a significant public health challenge, and timely diagnosis is essential to support appropriate treatment. Many commonly used rapid antibody tests cannot, on their own, distinguish active infection from a previously treated infection. This creates a need for accessible diagnostic tools that can help clinicians make more informed decisions.
Atomo is working with the Burnet Institute to develop a rapid test designed to address this challenge, using Atomo’s integrated Pascal test cassette. The proposed test is intended for professional point-of-care use, with self-testing applications also being explored. It remains under development and is subject to clinical validation, regulatory assessment and other requirements before any commercial availability.
A Platform Designed to Make Rapid Testing Easier
The feature also highlights Atomo’s approach to diagnostic device design. Its Pascal platform brings blood collection, sample delivery and buffer delivery together in a single device, helping simplify procedures that would otherwise require several separate components.
This focus on usability supports Atomo’s wider objective of making rapid tests easier to perform in professional, community and, where authorised, at-home settings. The same platform approach can be adapted to different assays and diagnostic applications.
Building on Atomo’s Broader Diagnostic Portfolio
Beyond syphilis, the BioCurious article examines Atomo’s HIV Self Test, pregnancy testing and additional development programmes. It also considers Atomo’s manufacturing and technology-supply relationships, including its work with Lumos Diagnostics.
Together, these activities demonstrate how Atomo’s technology can support both finished rapid tests and diagnostic products developed with commercial partners, across multiple indications and markets.
Read the Full BioCurious Feature
Read Tim Boreham’s original article in Stockhead or the version published by The Australian.
Original reporting: Tim Boreham, BioCurious, Stockhead, October 2026.
Further Reading
- Atomo Secures $2.44m Grant to Develop Innovative Syphilis Test
- Syphilis 101: Early Signs, Diagnosis, and Why Testing Matters
- Revolutionising Diagnostic Testing: The Pascal Test Cassette by Atomo
Partnering with Atomo
Atomo works with diagnostic companies to support product development, technology integration and commercialisation. Explore partnership opportunities with Atomo.
