Portable Instant Blood Test Provides Fast Results

By Mona Simpson

Blood tests offer a way for doctors to determine how their patients’ bodies are functioning. After a clinical worker collects the patient’s blood sample, many procedures occur in order for doctors to get the blood test results for their patients. Currently, tests are performed on complicated, bulky lab equipment that is time consuming and labor intensive. Now, a company called Radisens Diagnostics claims that they have developed a blood-lab-in-a-box; a new way to perform blood tests for particular diseases.

Quicker Testing and Faster Results

Their simple tester is a handheld device that tests blood fast and easily. In only minutes, one blood drop can be tested for a range of diseases or conditions. The Gemini trial product, the official name for the blood-lab-in-a-box, took six years for the company to develop. It works in this way: the blood drop is placed inside special cartridges. These cartridges are pre-filled with beads that are coated with indicators for the particular condition being tested. The blood drop is spun with the beads. If disease molecules are present, they form long chains. A green light shows how much disease is present, if any. Doctors would use different cartridges for different diseases. Faster answers can allow patients to be treated faster and get healthier sooner. Now blood testing can be faster and more convenient. This technology allows doctors to provide faster diagnoses and patients to be treated quickly and effectively, even in remote places. One of the investors in the company is the European Space Agency, presumably because they want the ability to test astronauts in space to learn the effects of zero gravity on the human body. Another benefit that instant testing provides is the ability for doctors to discuss an individual’s test results immediately and in person, building trust and fostering communication, which may improve health outcomes.