We bring advanced molecular diagnostics to everyday medicine.

Currently offering the most accurate molecular technology available for respiratory infectious disease diagnosis, including COVID 19.

22

Infectious diseases tested

1 hr approx.

Rapid test results

22 years

Molecular biology experience

This is a multiplex real-time PCR test.

With a single nasal swab, it delivers test results in about an hour for covid-19 and 21 additional common respiratory infections.

Collect a sample

You collect your sample using our best in class flocked COPAN nasal swab

We pick it up

We take your nasal swab and deliver to our local lab in Boise

1-hour results

After we receive your test, you will have your results emailed in about 1 hour

We’ve solved a problem

With a single nasal swab, our test identifies 22 common causes of respiratory infections with high accuracy.

Reduces time for diagnosis

Prevents unnecessary doctor visits

Reduces antibiotic use

No more invasive procedures or x-rays

No more guessing

Reduce patient anxiety

About the Founder

Helicase was founded in 2016 by Dr. Thadeus Koontz M.D., Ph.D. soon after graduation from a research track residency at Duke University. While at Duke, Dr. Koontz obtained both the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Nugen corporate genomic grants to perform early metagenomic research on potential infectious causes of multiple sclerosis. He hopes to continue that work in the future but has turned his attention to the more immediate clinical needs of our communities to combat the covid-19 pandemic. In graduate school, Dr. Koontz was awarded prestigious university virology grants for his work in the pediatric molecular virology lab of Dr. W.J. ‘Bill’ Britt M.D. who developed a project to learn how cytomegalovirus can cause brain birth defects in children who acquire the infection in utero.

This all culminated in a personal experience with his then 4-year-old daughter, who was severely ill and experienced debilitating symptoms from an unknown cause. After several different failed medication trials, emergency room visits, and endoscopy procedures, Dr. Koontz requested a multiplex viral molecular test where the infectious cause was identified and finally a prognosis and course of action could be taken with certainty. This was the final motivation to provide the same service to everyday medicine. His goal is to make this kind of testing more widely available to all patients with unknown infections.

Clia License

View CV

What sets us apart

No Test Shortages

Stable supply chain from US and German suppliers with adequate reserve reagent capacity and rapid scalability.

We are Local

For now, we are a small startup company in Boise, Idaho but we plan to grow our footprint nationally.

Responsive

We are a small local business and value accessibility to our customers with rapid response to calls and emails.

Accurate

Our real-time PCR assays are the gold standard for accuracy in the molecular detection of Covid-19, and respiratory pathogens in general.

World-class Partnership

We have chosen to partner with Qiagen, a german molecular biology company that has long set the standard as the highest quality provider of molecular biology reagents in the world.

Certified

We are certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) with an active certificate of registration. Our tests are all currently FDA authorized for emergency use for the diagnosis of Covid-19.

What happens at the lab?

We partner with Qiagen, the worldwide leader in molecular biology testing and equipment, for instruments and reagents. We use only the highest quality available for every element of our lab. The fully automated real-time PCR means that there is almost no source of human error during your testing.