GoChain & Gentag to Offer Novel Blockchain-Based Authentication Solution for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Test Kits — GoChain

RENO, USA — May 27, 2020 — GoChain, a leading provider of distributed ledger technology for supply chains and creator of the GoChain enterprise-grade public blockchain network, today announced a partnership with Washington, DC-based Gentag, Inc. to support the blockchain-based authentication of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) test kits, protective equipment and drugs.

“Transparent supply chains are essential to all goods but especially for consumer health products such as COVID-19 test kits and PPE, some of which have proven to be either fake or of low quality. So while we’re unable to assess the efficacy of current tests in the market, we can help to provide consumers with additional confidence and clarity needed on kit provenance and authenticity. GoChain and Gentag’s combined blockchain- and multiple sensor-based solution offers considerable opportunity for impact and assurance in multiple sectors from healthcare to consumer & pharmaceutical products.”

Henry Ines, GoChain CEO

To authenticate a COVID-19 testing kit, a new Near Field Communication (NFC) and optical hybrid technology called Kolor will be used. Kolor combines customizable NFC and optical sensors and codes, resulting in unique, printable labels or sensors. When used in combination with GoChain’s blockchain technology, Kolor labels can be used to authenticate and provide end-to-end provenance of pharmaceutical or diagnostic tests, including the COVID-19 tests, and personal protective equipment (PPE), thereby mitigating the potential for counterfeit or low-quality tests.

In addition to chain of custody and product authenticity, GoChain’s blockchain and applications will also be used to facilitate the capture and review of COVID-19 assay test kit results on a mobile device. The comprehensive solution leverages GoChain’s highly scalable, low cost public and private blockchains as well as GoTrace, GoChain’s enterprise-grade, turnkey supply chain management platform.

“We are delighted to partner with GoChain, whose blockchain platform is compatible with Gentag’s NFC and optical diagnostic sensors. Creating a secure mobile phone-based blockchain certification for COVID-19 tests is critical to trace the origin of the tests and eliminate lower quality or unverified tests. GoChain will provide both the blockchain component as well as the mobile application required to make the reading of our optical or NFC sensors secure and user friendly on any mobile phone.”

— John P. Peeters, Ph.D., Gentag CEO

Gentag is a visionary IP and technology development company that combines its advanced knowledge in biology, chemistry, physics and microelectronics to convert consumer safety and health concerns into everyday disposable sensors that will revolutionize diagnostics, proactive medicine, nutrition and the everyday lives of consumers worldwide.

Gentag, Inc. and its patent holding company, Altivera, LLC, hold worldwide issued patents covering cell phone-based consumer safety sensors, IoT sensors and sensors for rapid diagnostic tests, including COVID-19 tests. These combined technologies allow for a range of groundbreaking consumer applications, from simple IoT sensor readings such as temperature or packaging tamper resistance, to sophisticated consumer health applications including biomarker analyses.

In addition to its NFC sensor portfolio, Gentag is also developing an optical blockchain sensor platform for new types of consumer market sensing applications. Optical blockchain sensors have broad market applications, including for food safety, bacterial detection, consumer health and mobile payments. They can be mass produced rapidly and at a very low cost.

GoChain believes in driving the adoption of impactful technology for the betterment of society and our habitat. GoChain partners with companies in all industries to quickly launch and manage their own scalable, low-cost blockchain solutions, run distributed applications and to deploy smart contracts. At 1,300 transactions per second, GoChain’s network is the fastest, most reliable, web3 based public and private blockchain protocol. GoChain’s Proof of Reputation (PoR) consensus algorithm relies on a decentralized consortium of Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and nonprofits to validate transactions. GoChain also supports its designated public cryptocurrency, which has the ticker symbol GO. For more information, visit gochain.io or follow GoChain on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.