An Interview with Christelle Bakarat on the Research Potential of U-Scan

This article is based on our November 14, 2025 interview with Christelle Bakarat.

Christelle Bakarat is the Head of Chemistry for Withings, a role she has held since 2020, after joining the company in 2016. She studied chemistry and chemical engineering, with a PhD in plasma physics. The team she leads is specialized in the development of chemical and biochemical reactions on paper for the detection of biomarkers in urine and other body fluids.

Emma Lugten (EL): Christelle, thank you for taking the time to talk about U-Scan for our researcher newsletter. The product is getting a lot of attention. Can you tell us how the U-Scan product got started and how its main goal has changed over time?

Christelle Barakat (CB): Absolutely. The first idea for U-Scan came from Éric [Carreel] back in 2014 after a discussion with a doctor. The original goal was very specific: to use detailed urine analysis as an easy way to check for prostate cancer. I joined the company in 2016, and since then, the project has grown a lot. We realized the core technology could do much more than just check for one disease. The vision changed from a simple testing tool to a broad platform for checking your health every day. This bigger goal is what has really shaped how we’ve developed the product.

EL: That’s a great way to put it. Can you explain the current technology? What makes U-Scan stand out when it comes to checking your health at home?

CB): We are currently working with the third, very advanced version of U-Scan. We first had an electrochemical version, followed by a very advanced microfluidic chip and we are now using paper chemistry based on classical dipstick models. The system is composed of two parts, a reader and a cartridge where the reader is durable and the cartridge is a consumable. By having one standard device we can address different use cases by selecting the relevant urinary biomarkers to analyse. What truly sets U-Scan apart from existing solutions is the seamless experience combined with its ability to provide a goldmine of concrete, quantifiable data, all without requiring users to change their daily habits. This data empowers users to optimize their lifestyle, their diet, or their medical condition.

The core value of this system lies in its ability to test a wide array of biomarkers and support numerous use cases by simply swapping cartridges, ensuring that different needs are addressed effectively, even if the initial cost may be a bit high.

EL: What are those different uses? What can we buy right now, and what new applications can we look forward to soon?

CB: The first product we launched is a nutrition cartridge. This gives people immediate, helpful feedback on their diet and how much water they are drinking. This is a great way to start the habit of checking their health all the time. Looking ahead, we have big plans for new health checks. We are working on cartridges for important areas where people need help, including kidney stones, bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs), how the body handles stress, and a special cartridge focused on women’s health. The kidney stone and UTI cartridges, for example, go beyond simple tracking to give important early warning signs, which can be vital for people managing those conditions.

EL: It sounds like you are getting into some serious medical areas. Are you working with any researchers or running clinical studies to prove that the technology works for these new uses?

CB: Yes, that is extremely important to us.While U-Scan is not yet a medical device, we have adopted a very rigorous scientific approach. We have worked with several doctors to confirm the clinical utility of our biomarkers, and we have conducted analytical performance studies according to medical guidelines and criteria. We are now initiating a proof-of-concept study to demonstrate that the mere act of using U-Scan drives positive behavioral changes that mitigate the risk of kidney stones, and a subsequent study is planned to validate the long-term effectiveness of our Calci cartridge in reducing the rate of kidney stone recurrence.

EL: Finally, looking past the products you’ve already planned, do you have a personal, long-term dream for what U-Scan could achieve?

CB: My personal dream is to take U-Scan even further and create a cartridge that is purely for prevention. This wouldn’t be for a single illness, but instead, it would check a mix of general markers, things like how much salt or sugar you have in your system, and general signs of inflammation. The main goal is to give people an ongoing, clear picture of their health before a problem even starts, or at least early enough to reverse the tendency. Imagine seeing a possible issue starting and being able to make small changes, all based on the daily chemistry of your body. That is the kind of powerful, forward-looking health care I hope U-Scan can make possible.

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