Smartphone Device Created Performs Blood Tests

A smartphone device has been created that can perform blood tests—an innovation that could improve the quality of life for people undergoing treatment for the prevention of blood clots.

The formation of blood clots in the arteries and veins can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and individuals at high risk of blood clots are often treated with anticoagulants drugs that thin the blood and prevent the clotting process.

Bioengineers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL; Switzerland) microengineering laboratory have created a device that could allow patients undergoing anticoagulant therapy to self-monitor. The gadget consists of a small single-use film that is attached to the screen of a smartphone. The film is made of a microstructured plastic layer that is a few micrometers thick.

When blood enters the film through capillary action, the device can detect a molecule present in blood that initiates coagulation, the process by which blood forms clots. The phone is then able to interpret the results by analyzing interferences in the electric field on the surface of the smartphone's screen. This is a process similar to what happens when a finger comes into contact with the screen of a smartphone. The results are then sent to a specific smartphone application, created by Qloudlab (Lausanne, Switzerland), the start-up company based at EPFL. This data can then be sent directly to a physician, who can assess whether a patient’s treatment needs to be modified.

Qloudlab has recently applied for a patent for the device, and the creators have recently received funding from Venture Kick (St. Gallen, Switzerland) that has allowed them to recruit a biochemist. The team hopes that by the end of next year, they will have shown that the device is as reliable as a laboratory test and can progress toward commercialization. Arther Queval, MSc, the founder of Qloudlab, said, “Such a test will significantly improve the quality of life for people undergoing this kind of treatment."

Related Links:
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Qloudlab 
Venture Kick