Setting the Table and Inviting Biotech to Dinner
By Kirsten Norgaard, Founder of the CortiCheck™ Initiative and Convener of the Global Adrenal Testing Consortium
When we launched the CortiCheck™ initiative, it wasn’t as a company — it was as a promise. After too many hospital stays, too many dismissed adrenal crises, and too many families holding their breath waiting for answers, our community wanted something simple: a way to know cortisol levels in real time.
Because right now, that test doesn’t exist. In emergency rooms, cortisol isn’t even ordered. It’s considered “non-urgent,” a send-out test that takes days to return — long after the crisis has passed. For people living with adrenal insufficiency, that gap can mean the difference between stabilization and catastrophe.
That’s how CortiCheck began: as a small, patient-led effort to create the first handheld cortisol test that could change emergency care. But as we moved deeper into the science, something became clear — the barriers were bigger than any one device.
It wasn’t just about the technology. It was about infrastructure, access, and alignment.
The Table We’re Setting
Testing innovation in rare and endocrine disease has always been fragmented — different labs, different standards, different systems. We have brilliant researchers working in isolation, patient groups reinventing the wheel, and promising technologies that never make it to patients because there’s no shared pathway for validation, regulation, or reimbursement.
So we decided to build that pathway ourselves.
The Global Adrenal Testing Consortium is our way of setting the table — bringing together scientists, clinicians, engineers, and patient leaders from around the world to talk, share, and collaborate early. Instead of everyone working in silos, we’re inviting biotech, academia, and advocacy to dinner together to co-design what better adrenal testing should look like.
This isn’t a new company or a replacement for CortiCheck. It’s the infrastructure beneath it — the bridge that ensures any innovation in cortisol testing has a roadmap that leads to real-world use, not another dead end.
Where We Are Now
We’re still early — in the pre-development phase — after our first scientific team lost grant funding. That was a tough hit, but we’re not losing hope. We’re pivoting, meeting new partners, and expanding the circle.
The conversations happening now are focused on acceleration — how to make sure the next prototype moves faster, is validated smarter, and actually reaches the families who need it most.
Why This Matters
Every person with adrenal insufficiency — every parent who’s rushed to the ER and had to explain their child’s condition from scratch — knows what’s at stake. Faster, reliable testing isn’t a luxury. It’s safety. It’s peace of mind. It’s potentially the difference between life and death.
When biotech sits down at the same table as patients and clinicians, progress accelerates. We stop duplicating effort, start sharing data, and make sure that innovation doesn’t get lost in translation.
The Global Adrenal Testing Consortium is where that collaboration begins. It’s not about competition — it’s about connection.
How You Can Help
If you’re a patient, caregiver, or clinician — your voice matters here.
If you’re a researcher or biotech innovator — there’s a seat waiting for you.
You can sign up to receive updates and learn about partnership opportunities through our site at united4rare.com/pages/contact.
We’re setting the table for something long overdue — and we’re just getting started.
Now please pass the salt.
