{"324121":{"#nid":"324121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"One-minute point-of-care anemia test shows promise in new study","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA simple point-of-care testing device for anemia could provide more rapid diagnosis of the common blood disorder and allow inexpensive at-home self-monitoring of persons with chronic forms of the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe disposable self-testing device analyzes a single droplet of blood using a chemical reagent that produces visible color changes corresponding to different levels of anemia. The basic test produces results in about 60 seconds and requires no electrical power. A companion smartphone application can automatically correlate the visual results to specific blood hemoglobin levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy allowing rapid diagnosis and more convenient monitoring of patients with chronic anemia, the device could help patients receive treatment before the disease becomes severe, potentially heading off emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Anemia, which affects two billion people worldwide, is now diagnosed and monitored using blood tests done with costly test equipment maintained in hospitals, clinics or commercial laboratories.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause of its simplicity and ability to deliver results without electricity, the device could also be used in resource-poor nations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA paper describing the device and comparing its sensitivity to gold-standard anemia testing was published August 30, 2014, in \u003Cem\u003EThe Journal of Clinical Investigation\u003C\/em\u003E. Development of the test has been supported by the FDA-funded Atlantic Pediatric Device Consortium, the Georgia Research Alliance, Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Center of Innovation for Manufacturing and the Global Center for Medical Innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur goal is to get this device into patients\u2019 hands so they can diagnose and monitor anemia themselves,\u201d said Dr. Wilbur Lam, senior author of the paper and a physician in the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Department of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. \u201cPatients could use this device in a way that\u2019s very similar to how diabetics use glucose-monitoring devices, but this will be even simpler because this is a visual-based test that doesn\u2019t require an additional electrical device to analyze the results.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe test device was developed in a collaboration of Emory University, Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Institute of Technology \u2013 all based in Atlanta. It grew out of a 2011 undergraduate senior design project in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. In 2013, it was among the winners of Georgia Tech\u2019s InVenture Prize, an innovation competition for undergraduate students, and won first place in the Ideas to SERVE Competition in Georgia Tech\u2019s Scheller College of Business.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing a two-piece prototype device, the test works this way: A patient sticks a finger with a lance similar to those used by diabetics to produce a droplet of blood. The device\u2019s cap, a small vial, is then touched to the droplet, drawing in a precise amount of blood using capillary action. The cap containing the blood sample is then placed onto the body of the clear plastic test kit, which contains the chemical reagent. After the cap is closed, the device is briefly shaken to mix the blood and reagent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen the capillary is filled, we have a very precise volume of blood, about five microliters, which is less than a droplet \u2013 much less than what is required by other anemia tests,\u201d explained Erika Tyburski, the paper\u2019s first author and leader of the undergraduate team that developed the device.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBlood hemoglobin then serves as a catalyst for a reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction that takes place in the device. After about 45 seconds, the reaction is complete and the patient sees a color ranging from green-blue to red, indicating the degree of anemia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe colors are produced by a redox-sensitive dye that complements the color arising from the hemoglobin, explained L. Andrew Lyon, who supported the work while he was chair of Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemistry \u0026amp; Biochemistry. \u201cIt is the breadth of color space covered by the reaction that really enables the assay to be so reliable when read out by the naked eye,\u201d said Lyon, who is now dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University in California.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA label on the device helps with interpretation of the color, or the device could be photographed with a smartphone running an application written by Georgia Tech undergraduate student Alex Weiss and graduate student William Stoy. The app automatically correlates the color to a specific hemoglobin level, and could one day be used to report the data to a physician.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo evaluate sensitivity and specificity of the device, Tyburski studied blood taken from 238 patients, some of them children at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and the others adults at Emory University\u2019s Winship Cancer Institute. Each blood sample was tested four times using the device, and the results were compared to reports provided by conventional hematology analyzers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe work showed that the results of the one-minute test were consistent with those of the conventional analysis. The smartphone app produced the best results for measuring severe anemia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe test doesn\u2019t require a skilled technician or a draw of venous blood and you see the results immediately,\u201d said Lam, who is also an assistant professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. \u201cWe think this is an empowering system, both for the general public and for our patients.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETyburski and Lam have teamed up with two other partners and worked with Emory\u2019s Office of Technology Transfer to launch a startup company, Sanguina, to commercialize the test, which will be known as AnemoCheck\u2122. The test ultimately will require approval from the FDA. The team also plans to study how the test may be applied to specific diseases, such as sickle cell anemia \u2013 which is common in Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe device could be on pharmacy shelves sometime in 2016, where it might help people like Tyburski, who has suffered mild anemia most of her life. \u201cIf I\u2019d had this when I was kid, I could have avoided some trips to the emergency room when I passed out in gym class,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbout a third of the population is at risk for anemia, which can cause neurocognitive deficits in children, organ failure and less serious effects such as chronic fatigue. Women, children, the elderly and those with chronic conditions such as kidney disease are more likely to suffer from anemia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Assistance\u003C\/strong\u003E: Georgia Tech -- John Toon (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) (404-894-6986) or Brett Israel (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebrett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) (404-385-1933) or Emory University -- Holly Korschun (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:hkorsch@emory.edu\u0022\u003Ehkorsch@emory.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) (404-727-3990).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA simple point-of-care testing device for anemia could provide more rapid diagnosis of the common blood disorder and allow inexpensive at-home self-monitoring of persons with chronic forms of the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A simple point-of-care testing device for anemia could provide more rapid diagnosis of the common blood disorder."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2014-09-11 11:11:22","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:04","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"324081":{"id":"324081","type":"image","title":"Prototype anemia test","body":null,"created":"1449245025","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:03:45","changed":"1475895034","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:34","alt":"Prototype anemia test","file":{"fid":"200176","name":"anemia-test168.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemia-test168_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemia-test168_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1024995,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/anemia-test168_0.jpg?itok=pM0E7A92"}},"324101":{"id":"324101","type":"image","title":"Prototype anemia test3","body":null,"created":"1449245025","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:03:45","changed":"1475895034","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:34","alt":"Prototype anemia test3","file":{"fid":"200178","name":"anemai-test183.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemai-test183_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemai-test183_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":967076,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/anemai-test183_0.jpg?itok=oqW2yfSu"}},"324091":{"id":"324091","type":"image","title":"Prototype anemia test2","body":null,"created":"1449245025","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:03:45","changed":"1475895034","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:34","alt":"Prototype anemia test2","file":{"fid":"200177","name":"anemia-test196.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemia-test196_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemia-test196_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":912782,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/anemia-test196_0.jpg?itok=cl4twlPv"}},"324071":{"id":"324071","type":"image","title":"Erika Tyburski","body":null,"created":"1449245025","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:03:45","changed":"1475895034","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:34","alt":"Erika Tyburski","file":{"fid":"200175","name":"anemia-test19.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemia-test19_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/anemia-test19_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1289098,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/anemia-test19_0.jpg?itok=NpitUKY2"}}},"media_ids":["324081","324101","324091","324071"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"63841","name":"anemia"},{"id":"102931","name":"anemia monitoring"},{"id":"102911","name":"anemia testing"},{"id":"102941","name":"Erika Tyburski"},{"id":"7764","name":"InVenture Prize"},{"id":"3264","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"14681","name":"Wilbur Lam"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"},{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}