Blood tests can be used to help a doctor identify a variety of health conditions, including infections, anaemia, high cholesterol, vitamin deficiencies, organ failure, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), cancer, diabetes, and more. Over 850,000 blood tests are conducted yearly at Mater Dei Hospital (MDH).
About two per cent of patients on different medications require frequent monitoring of different blood parameters to determine correct dosing, while other blood tests monitor patients with kidney problems, cancer and other ailments. These cause long outpatient queues at hospitals and health centres, as well as necessitating patient travel and causing discomfort during bloodletting.
Automated analysers at medical laboratories require specialised medical laboratory scientists to process the collected samples. Moreover, 10 to 25 per cent of complete blood count samples are flagged for subsequent manual review. Some point-of-care blood testing devices are on the market, using test-specific disposable components.
The Electromagnetics Research Group, from the Department of Physics at the University of Malta, and the Department of Haematology at MDH, are embarking on a project, CountMe, to develop a hand-held device to monitor blood parameters.
This device differs from other systems as it uses microwave technology to monitor a range of blood parameters from one blood droplet obtained from a pinprick and using an inexpensive disposable test strip attachment. It will provide results within minutes, thus minimising patient discomfort and reducing the burden on healthcare services and medical disposables. CountMe could be used in all clinical environments and in the home by patients themselves.
Biomarkers are an observable trait that assesses normal biological activities, disease-related activities or reactions to treatment or exposure
Preliminary studies by the same group of researchers established that the interaction between electromagnetic fields (EMF) and blood, described by the dielectric (or electrical) properties, may provide enough information on blood composition. Thus, these properties can be used as a biomarker for different illnesses and abnormal health conditions.
Biomarkers are an observable trait that assesses normal biological activities, disease-related activities or reactions to treatment or exposure.
In this study, patients with specific clinical diagnoses were engaged along with a control group and their blood samples were analysed. A correlation between certain patient groups and their dielectric properties was observed, providing promising results for the dielectric properties of blood to be used as specific biomarkers to predict the likelihood of certain clinical conditions.
This innovative approach holds great promise in enabling early detection and potentially saving countless lives.
This project is funded by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) under the FUSION Technology Development Programme.
Lourdes Farrugia is a senior lecturer at the University of Malta.
Sound Bites
• The elements in our bodies, like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, have a specific electrical charge. Almost all of our cells can use these charged elements, called ions, to generate electricity. A disruption in electrical currents can lead to illness. For example, irregular electrical currents can prevent heart muscles from contracting correctly, leading to a heart attack.
• Humans generate weak electrical fields whenever we move our muscles. Some animals have taken this power a step further, evolving the ability to communicate, defend themselves and find food via electricity. Very often, this is to compensate for their poor vision or inability to see in murky water.
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DID YOU KNOW?
• Our blood contains around 0.2 milligrams of gold.
• Research has shown mosquitoes’ preferred blood type as O.
• Some Japanese people believe that blood type indicates a person’s personality.
• Blood types vary by population. The most common blood type in the US is O positive, while in Japan, it is A positive.
• Ancient Egyptians believed that wine was the blood of people who dared to battle against gods because it drove them out of their senses.
• There are very few electric animals, most of which are fish.
For more trivia, see: www.um.edu.mt/think.