Novelty in blood test: laser sensor to replace needles
Lithuanian scientists are working on a laser-based technology to establish a novel way of blood examination without a regular needle poke. The innovation is scheduled to be publicly accessible in 1 or 2 years, thus facilitating daily routines of patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases. It will enable a faster detection of acute diseases and help athletes to monitor their body condition, prevent injuries too.
Scientists of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) in collaboration with laser experts of “Brolis Semiconductors”, by using laser spectroscopy method created a sensor, which can be installed in smartphones or smartwatches. Such an easily accessible blood test will not only help to prevent people from a needle caused pain, but will decrease risks of blood-borne diseases as well.
“By using smart apps this technology will enable us to monitor certain blood changes. In case of illness we could send individual blood examination results to our family doctors or doctors from the emergency room”, says professor Žilvinas Dambrauskas, one of the technology creators from the Institute of Digestive Research of LSMU. According to professor, due to technology some blood tests would become very cheap, patients by themselves could monitor their blood changes and link them to their health, share this information with doctors and analyze it using AI programs.
“An opportunity to create better insulin pumps for patients with diabetes would be created. Athletes could use monitoring systems to predict their level of physical preparation, they would receive information about risks of injury or disease”, professor says. In case of acute diseases such a novelty is going to provide an easier diagnosis of acute infectious diseases and sepsis, also it will detect a malfunction of blood flow in different organs. Eventually the innovation would be used in medical institutions, gyms, providing emergency aid. More ways of its application would also appear.
Such a sensor of LSMU scientists and “Brolis Semiconductors” laser experts currently is the first, most developed and accurate technology. Its developers assure the technology in most cases will be as accurate as a regular, invasive blood test.
In a near future scientists plan to analyze blood samples of healthy people and compare it with the results collected noninvasively. By collecting this information the technology will be “teached” to precisely measure and predict certain changes in blood.
Currently scientists are implementing technical solutions to make the technology mobile and suitable to use in a daily environment. Big amount of information is also collected and processed in order to make the analyzer capable of precisely identifying changes in blood.
