Kadena Launches Blockchain App to Verify COVID-19 Tests

Hybrid blockchain maker Kadena wants to verify COVID-19 testing kits by recording their provenance on its network.

AccessTimeIconJun 25, 2020 at 6:27 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 8:56 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Kadena said Thursday its new app can verify COVID-19 tests are the real deal by letting users track test kits.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., blockchain company said the open-source application would be available to use on its testnet immediately, and would provide a secure way for medical professionals and patients to communicate and store test results. 

Helmed by former JPMorgan blockchain leads, Kadena markets itself as a high-throughput alternative to the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains. Its plan to ensure the authenticity of coronavirus tests is to use QR codes to track the kits from the manufacturer to the healthcare provider, making it harder to swap out the real tests for fake ones, said Kadena founder and CEO Will Martino. 

“The provider then goes and registers those keys so that no one can just submit a random one,” Martino said. 

He added that by keeping a picture of the test’s QR code with them, anyone who gets a test could also check the results by logging onto the app.

In a press release the company said that with added privacy protections the data gathered on its app could also help academics and government officials better understand the spread of the coronavirus. 

Because it would handle protected medical information, Kadena’s platform needs to be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); the firm’s statement said its app was currently “aiming for the standards of HIPAA-compliance.”

Explaining the compliance status, Martino said the firm was following a legal process to ensure compliance, but “we're at 99.5% sure that it is” compliant. 

Token trading

Kadena also announced Thursday the Bittrex Global Exchange would be the first to list its token,  KDA. The tokens can be used to create and execute contracts on its blockchain. 

The firm said trading for its token would begin Friday morning and the initial trading pairs for KDA tokens would be bitcoin (BTC) and tether (USDT). While the listing is only for non-U.S. traders right now, Martino said the firm has plans to make the tokens available in the U.S. with listings in the future. 

“We'll have other listings this year, but they're the first,” he said. 

Earlier in May, the hybrid blockchain maker said it would integrate with data provider Chainlink to help price Kadena-based assets, beginning with KDA. 

According to its statement, Kadena is also moving forward with plans to upgrade its blockchain next month. The statement claimed scaling the firm’s sharded blockchain from 10 to 20 chains not only doubles the throughput, but it also proves the feasibility of Kadena’s blockchain to scale further. 

“It actually gets more efficient as you make it bigger. Because you take the difficulty per block when you go from 10 to 20, and you chop the difficulty in half. It is the network difficulty that gives us security,” Martino said. 

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.