Biotecnología Noticias

Three great biotech advances related to blood science:

5 min reading

At Capital Cell we always keep up to date with new advances and movements in life science; not only because it´s our job… but because in all honest, we´re pretty geeky! This week we came across a few really interesting ones that we want to share.

1. A paper-based test that determines blood types in just 30 seconds.

Knowing your blood type is crucial if you’re injured and in need of a transfusion. Receiving the wrong blood type creates a mismatch, which in the most serious cases could result in death! Currently it takes about 10 to 20 minutes to identify someone’s blood type using available methods and, in addition, lab equipment is required. This causes issues in emergency rooms across the world where speed is an important factor. This new technological detection system will facilitate quicker, lab-less processing, which will not only improve response times in hospitals, but also in situations of great emergency such as war zones. This new advancement is expected to be in production and widely available in 1-2 years.

 

2. A sampling device promising to make blood tests needle-free.

This new, innovative technological device is set to replace current methods of drawing blood samples. HemoLink has a low-cost design; it contains minimal parts, produces minimal waste and is manufactured at minimal cost. The most impressive feature of this elegant blood collection system is that needles will no longer be needed; instead, blood samples can be taken by simply pushing a button.

The easy to use device, means in 3 simple steps it can be used at home:
1. The user holds the device against their skin
2. The device creates a slight vacuum that pulls blood from the capillaries
3. The sample can be sent to the appropriate lab for analysis
The samples can be used for many routine diagnoses, such as infections, cancer cells, and blood sugar/cholesterol levels.

3. A medical device that acts as a vein viewer map in real time.

Although this medical development is not exactly ‘brand new’ and you may already be aware of vein viewer technology, until very recently this type of product was being held back at prototype stage. There has been an influx of interest in this field, with recent investment facilitating improvements to the technology and the possibility of mass manufacture of these devices. We have recently come across Novarix, a company developing this innovative technology, which helps medical professionals to locate veins easily by providing a digital image, and find the ideal point to administer needles and cannulas. Currently, there is a lot of activity in this particular field of development, and we recommend keeping an eye out for advancement news.

IV-EYE®

IV-EYE®

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Sofia Menezes-Cabral

Sofia Menezes-Cabral

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