We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




POC Finger-Prick Blood Test Determines Risk of Neutropenic Sepsis in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 20 Mar 2024
Print article
Image: The low-cost portable device rapidly identifies chemotherapy patients at risk of sepsis (Photo courtesy of 52North Health)
Image: The low-cost portable device rapidly identifies chemotherapy patients at risk of sepsis (Photo courtesy of 52North Health)

Neutropenia, a decrease in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell crucial for fighting infections), is a frequent side effect of certain cancer treatments. This condition elevates the risk of infections, including neutropenic sepsis—a potentially fatal reaction to infection and a severe complication of chemotherapy. Identifying the signs of neutropenic sepsis can be challenging, leading to a stressful and expensive treatment process. Consequently, all chemotherapy patients feeling ill are advised to seek emergency care to check for neutropenic sepsis. Unfortunately, half of these patients do not receive antibiotics quickly enough, while the other half, not at risk of neutropenic sepsis, unnecessarily visit the emergency department.

52North Health Ltd. (Cambridge UK) has developed NeutroCheck, a groundbreaking approach aimed at enhancing the safety and well-being of cancer patients. This innovation combines a finger-prick blood test with an AI-powered digital platform, allowing patients to evaluate their neutropenic sepsis risk at home. This affordable, user-friendly device measures the patient's neutrophil count and CRP level (a marker for sepsis) from just a small blood sample. By inputting this data into the app, along with other patient information, the AI technology provides an accurate risk assessment. Low-risk patients might stay home or receive community care, while high-risk patients get prioritized for urgent emergency department treatment and antibiotics.

NeutroCheck is the first economical, portable tool that measures both cells and solutes in a single sample using adapted lateral flow technology—a method previously limited to measuring solutes. It simultaneously assesses neutrophils and CRP levels, with buffers incorporated within the device released automatically with a simple dial turn. Developed in collaboration with over 100 patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, NeutroCheck aims to streamline the triage process for neutropenic sepsis patients, reducing unnecessary emergency visits, lowering healthcare costs, and potentially saving lives by ensuring timely antibiotic administration.

New
Platinum Member
Flu SARS-CoV-2 Combo Test
OSOM® Flu SARS-CoV-2 Combo Test
Magnetic Bead Separation Modules
MAG and HEATMAG
Complement 3 (C3) Test
GPP-100 C3 Kit
Gold Member
ADAMTS-13 Protease Activity Test
ATS-13 Activity Assay

Print article
77 ELEKTRONIKA

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: PhD student and first author Tarek Eissa has analyzed thousands of molecular fingerprints (Photo courtesy of Thorsten Naeser / MPQ / Attoworld)

Screening Tool Detects Multiple Health Conditions from Single Blood Drop

Infrared spectroscopy, a method using infrared light to study the molecular composition of substances, has been a foundational tool in chemistry for decades, functioning similarly to a molecular fingerprinting... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Researchers have found the first evidence of testing for the alpha-synuclein protein in blood samples via seed amplification assay (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test to Detect Alpha-Synuclein Protein Could Revolutionize Parkinson's Disease Diagnostics

Currently, Parkinson's disease (PD) is identified through clinical diagnosis, typically at a later stage in the disease's progression. There is a pressing need for an objective and quantifiable biomarker... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The blood test measures lymphocytes  to guide the use of multiple myeloma immunotherapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Simple Blood Test Identifies Multiple Myeloma Patients Likely to Benefit from CAR-T Immunotherapy

Multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer originating from plasma cells in the bone marrow, sees almost all patients experiencing a relapse at some stage. This means that the cancer returns even after initially... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: Ultra-Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (uRAST) revolutionizing traditional antibiotic susceptibility testing (Photo courtesy of Seoul National University)

Ultra-Rapid Culture-Free Sepsis Test Reduces Testing Time from Days to Hours

Sepsis, a critical emergency condition, results from an overactive inflammatory response to pathogens like bacteria or fungi in the blood, leading to organ damage and the possibility of sudden death.... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The AI model can distinguish different stages of DCIS from inexpensive and readily available breast tissue images (Photo courtesy of David A. Litman/Shutterstock)

AI Model Identifies Breast Tumor Stages Likely To Progress to Invasive Cancer

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive type of tumor that can sometimes progress to a more lethal form of breast cancer and represents about 25% of all breast cancer cases. Between 30% and 50%... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: Beckman Coulter will utilize the ALZpath pTau217 antibody to detect key biomarker for Alzheimer\'s disease on its DxI 9000 immunoassay analyzer (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter)

Beckman Coulter Licenses Alzpath's Proprietary P-tau 217 Antibody to Develop Alzheimer's Blood Test

Cognitive assessments have traditionally been the primary method for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, but this approach has its limitations as symptoms become apparent only after significant brain changes... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.