Exactics: Building a Universal Platform for Rapid Infectious Disease Testing

Innovation in diagnostics doesn't always come from established labs or industry veterans—sometimes it emerges from personal experience and undergraduate ingenuity.

These breakthrough moments reveal where healthcare is heading, what problems young entrepreneurs are tackling, and how accessible technology is reshaping disease detection.

In this series, we're spotlighting early-stage biotech companies making waves in their respective fields. Next up: Exactics.

Exactics' Mission: Accessible Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases

Exactics, a biotechnology startup incorporated in 2021 by University of Chicago students, is developing accessible, accurate at-home diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. The company is targeting a critical gap—currently, 95% of the WHO's priority pathogens lack adequate rapid diagnostics, and millions of annual deaths from infectious diseases could be prevented with early detection and treatment.

Why Rapid Diagnostics Need Innovation

Traditional diagnostic testing for infectious diseases often requires laboratory analysis, extended wait times, and healthcare facility visits. For conditions like Lyme disease, it can take up to three weeks for the body to develop detectable antibodies—a delay that allows the disease to progress and cause serious complications including chronic fatigue, arthritis, and neurological symptoms.

At the molecular level, early detection is crucial because many infectious diseases become significantly harder to treat once they've established themselves in the body. The longer a disease goes undiagnosed, the more severe the health outcomes and the higher the treatment costs.

Currently, most at-home rapid tests are limited to a handful of diseases, with COVID-19 tests representing the most widespread example. Exactics is working to fill that gap by creating a universal platform for rapid disease detection that works outside traditional laboratory settings.

The Proteus+ Platform

Exactics has developed the Proteus+ platform, a patented modular lateral flow immunoassay system. The platform's key innovation is its adaptability—by swapping biomarkers, it can be configured to test for hundreds of different infectious diseases using the same core technology.

The company's flagship product, QuickLyme (also known as the TiCK Test), demonstrates this technology's potential. Unlike traditional Lyme disease tests that wait for antibody development in blood samples, QuickLyme tests the tick itself to determine whether it carried Lyme-causing bacteria. The test is designed for at-home use with results appearing in 15 minutes, enabling immediate treatment decisions.

This approach shifts the diagnostic paradigm from reactive testing after symptoms appear to proactive screening immediately after potential exposure. Users place the tick in the test device and receive clear results within minutes.

Beyond Lyme disease, Exactics is adapting the Proteus+ platform to test for other tick-borne illnesses including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Alpha-gal syndrome, as well as developing diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases and sexual health conditions.

Leadership & Founding Story

CEO Julian Kage founded Exactics after his best friend suffered with undiagnosed Lyme disease for months during their seventh-grade year in Connecticut. The experience prompted Kage to develop an at-home Lyme disease test as an eighth-grade science fair project—work that won awards at the National Invention Convention and earned patent fee coverage.

After years of development and refinement, Kage's patents were approved by his second year at the University of Chicago, where he also secured a National Science Foundation grant. In 2021, he formalized the company with four University of Chicago and Tulane University classmates as cofounders: Maxwell Almeida, Sean Greeby (Chief Scientific Officer), Dylan 

Murray (Chief Operating Officer), and Zachary Sarmoen.

The company has established strategic research partnerships, including collaboration with Dr. Monica Embers, an internationally renowned Lyme disease researcher at Tulane National Primate Research Center, who is helping validate the tests.

Funding & Momentum

Exactics has secured over $500,000 through competition winnings and investor capital—notable for an undergraduate-led biotech venture. Major funding milestones include winning both the College New Venture Challenge ($115,000) and Social New Venture Challenge ($135,000) at the University of Chicago in 2025, making it the first startup to win both competitions. The team also secured $15,000 at Tulane's Pitch Friday Competition and attracted a $250,000 investment from Tulane Ventures, an early-stage fund launched by the Tulane University Innovation Institute.

This seed funding reflects growing recognition that rapid diagnostics represent a critical healthcare need with significant market potential. The capital will enable Exactics to advance product development, establish manufacturing partnerships, and pursue regulatory approvals.

Market Strategy & Regulatory Pathway

Exactics has mapped out a strategic phased launch for QuickLyme that begins with the veterinary and pet health markets before pursuing human diagnostic approval. This approach allows the company to generate revenue, gather real-world performance data, and build market presence while preparing for FDA regulatory processes.

The company has secured a licensing deal with Tick Solutions Global to support a 2026 launch for the TiCK Test in major pet health and outdoor retailers. Following successful market entry in the veterinary space, Exactics will seek FDA approval to launch its test for human use.

Beyond the initial product, the company plans to expand into diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases—conditions that disproportionately affect populations in low-resource settings and currently lack accessible testing options.

Competitive Advantages

The Proteus+ platform's modular design enables rapid adaptation to new diseases without requiring entirely new product development, creating significant efficiency advantages over traditional diagnostic development processes. For Lyme disease specifically, QuickLyme's approach of testing the tick rather than waiting for antibody development in the patient represents a fundamentally different diagnostic paradigm that enables earlier intervention.

The company's university connections provide access to cutting-edge research, validation facilities, and institutional support that accelerate product development. Additionally, partnerships with established distribution networks position Exactics for rapid market penetration once products receive regulatory approval.

Looking Ahead

As Exactics advances toward its 2026 veterinary market launch and subsequent human diagnostic approvals, the company's immediate goals focus on successful commercialization while maintaining its long-term vision of creating a global network of rapid diagnostics accessible to individuals, healthcare providers, and public health systems alike.

The company's trajectory from middle-school science fair project to funded biotech venture with strategic partnerships and a clear regulatory pathway demonstrates how personal experience, innovative thinking, and entrepreneurial execution can converge to tackle significant healthcare challenges.