Blood test 24/7
Breakthrough: scientists have learned to control blood composition in real time
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
Although a biochemical blood test is informative by many criteria, such a test is just a "blood snapshot" at a specific time. The same COVID-19 often causes a cytokine storm, the development of which needs to be monitored by the state of the blood continuously in real time to avoid the worst. And scientists from Stanford managed to develop the technology for such prompt and accurate diagnostics.
Article by Poudineh et al. A fluorescence sandwich immunoassay for the real-time continuous detection of glucose and insulin in live animals is published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering – VM.
To assess a person's condition, it is very important to know the direction of changes in blood parameters. In other words, you need to know the dynamics in order to provide effective medical care. For example, with sepsis, each additional hour of inactivity increases the probability of death by 8%, but a test to assess this condition requires three days to get a result. Continuous monitoring of blood counts will play an extremely important role in saving lives.
Researchers from Stanford University have developed a device for performing real-time enzyme immunoassay (“Real-time ELISA”), which provides continuous monitoring of the chemical composition of the patient's blood.
A drawing from the Stanford researchers develop lab-on-a-chip press release that turns blood test snapshots into continuous movies – VM.
The test results are more like a short film that demonstrates the real picture of changes in the blood.
Scientists have already successfully tested it on rats. They were continuously monitored for changes in insulin and glucose, but the test can be easily modified to evaluate any protein or other biomarker of a particular disease.
The new test is compared to an entire laboratory inside a chip with tiny tubes and valves no wider than a human hair. An intravenous needle directs the patient's blood into the miniature contours of the device, where ELISA is performed over and over again, the authors explain.
To search for a specific biomarker, scientists set up antibodies that attach to it and begin to glow. This fluorescent reaction is recorded by a high-speed camera. As a result, it is possible to determine not only the presence of the target protein, but also its concentration.
The device will be especially useful in intensive care and emergency departments, where the accuracy and timing of diagnosis are extremely important. The most relevant example is the cytokine storm provoked by COVID–19.
In some people, even after the disease is brought under control, the body continues to produce more and more cytokines in response to the pathogen. Without timely medical care, such events lead to failure of internal organs and death. The ELISA test will report in real time whether the level of cytokines decreases in response to treatment. Currently, the team is already modifying the test to evaluate the main cytokine COVID-19 – interleukin-6. Today, tests for IL-6 require three days to get a result.
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