Ultra-Portable Device Enables Finger-Prick Blood Testing at Home

Patients who need frequent blood tests often face repeated clinic visits that burden services and disrupt care. In the UK, millions of tests are performed each year to diagnose disease, guide therapy, and track health, yet results usually capture a single moment. Home-based, longitudinal testing could highlight small physiologic changes and reduce travel for vulnerable groups such as people on chemotherapy.

King’s College London spinout Algocyte has introduced the Algocyte PROXIMA Mobile Health Station (MHS), an ultra‑portable blood testing device designed and manufactured in the UK. The instrument is intended for use by non‑specialist providers, including nurses, general practitioners, pharmacists, and care‑home staff. It uses a small finger‑prick sample and connects over Bluetooth to deliver results that can be shared with clinicians and patients on the spot, building a longitudinal picture of health.

The system combines two independent sensing technologies with a physics‑informed artificial intelligence (AI) approach. Its hybrid architecture integrates complementary deep‑learning models, including convolutional neural networks and Vision Transformers, and uses a quantum‑inspired aggregation inference method. By incorporating measurement redundancy and cross‑validating multiple sensing modalities, the device enables measurement of 12 biomarkers that comprise a Full Blood Count (FBC). It can operate via a mobile phone, run from a compact external power bank, and has been tested across Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, 5G, and 4G hotspots. According to the company, applications include conditions such as anemia, infection, inflammation, and cancer.

The device has achieved the UKCA mark as a UK in vitro diagnostics (IVD) General Class instrument and is progressing through further testing and evaluation in commercial deployment while gathering additional scientific evidence and completing further regulatory steps. The Algocyte PROXIMA MHS was launched on June 29 at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, where live demonstrations were accompanied by an immersive virtual‑reality training platform that simulates the complete workflow on Apple Vision Pro. The company reports ongoing pilots in early stages in the UK, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, including feedback from National Health Service laboratorists and evaluation in a Canadian government rural community hub.

“This achievement demonstrates how academia and industry can work together to deliver meaningful social impact. Academia advances fundamental research into health, disease, and the application of AI to cell and molecular biology. Industry translates these advances into scalable technologies. This technology could have a real‑world impact on the many patients receiving treatments that would benefit from regular blood monitoring, such as chemotherapy or the use of medicines like clozapine, which require close monitoring of blood cell levels due to potential side effects or complications,” said Dr. Hector Zenil, founder and CEO of Algocyte, and Associate Professor in Healthcare Engineering at King’s College London.

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