Faces of Technology
Enabling Accurate
Disease Detection
“ I have a genetic disorder – I ’ m an ophthalmologist ,” joked Dr . Robert Sambursky . Born into a family of ophthalmologists – including his brother , father , grandfather and several uncles – Sambursky hardly had a choice . The president and CEO of Sarasota ’ s RPS Diagnostics graduated from the Boston University School of Medicine and started building his resume through experiences at Massachusetts ’ s Mount Auburn Hospital and Will ’ s Eye Hospital . When his family invested in a biotechnology company , Sambursky jumped at the opportunity to lead its research .
“ The German-based company could take a swab of human sweat , transfer it to a test cassette and run a quick sample to see if you were using cocaine or heroin ,” he explained . “ We saw the potential in leveraging that technology to detect other critical biomarkers through blood and tear samples to improve patient health .”
Robert Sambursky , M . D .
President and CEO RPS Diagnostics | www . rpsdetectors . com
RPS purposely established the headquarters for its global company in Florida , and subsequently bought out its German counterparts . Initially drawn to Sarasota for its biotechnology community and proximity to medical research institutions , Sambursky is equally grateful for the beaches and temperate climate that have helped him recruit top talent . From its laboratory in The Corridor , RPS develops innovative point-of-care diagnostic tests that determine the presence of a virus or bacteria with a small sample of a patient ’ s bodily fluid . The easy-to-use , cost-effective solution , FebriDx ® , increases the accuracy of a physician ’ s diagnosis , prevents the spread of infection by identifying contagious patients and offers evidence as an explanation to patients when antibiotics aren ’ t prescribed – all before they leave the examination room .
“ Right now , the biggest problem that we have in the U . S . is that 80 percent of the patients with common ailments like sinusitis , bronchitis and pharyngitis do not need an antibiotic , yet these people are getting an antibiotic from their
Education : B . A . in Biology , Brown University M . A . in Medical Sciences , Boston University M . D . Boston University School of Medicine
Company : RPS is an emerging global biotechnology company focused on diagnostic testing of inflammation and infectious diseases , which are often difficult to diagnose and can have tremendous health and cost benefit if diagnosed and treated early .
doctor ,” said Sambursky . “ Our goal is to limit unnecessary antibiotics and prevent antibiotic resistance , which is a catastrophic consequence of overuse .”
U . S . approval is in the works for the rapid blood test , FebriDx , to help diagnose patients with symptoms of respiratory illness . Initially developed in partnership with the U . S . Department of Homeland Security in anticipation of a biologic attack or pandemic , the test is now commercially available to physicians in Canada , Europe , Saudi Arabia and Singapore .
RPS also currently offers two tests in the U . S . and globally that help diagnose dry eye disease or pink eye by detecting the presence of certain biomarkers in a patient ’ s tears . florida . HIGH . TECH 2017 59