A new portable blood testing device could allow patient health to be monitored at home through an app.
King's College London spinout Algocyte has developed a small blood testing device which connects via Bluetooth and uses AI to build a picture of an individual's health over time. The tool could be especially beneficial for patients who require regular monitoring, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, who currently rely on frequent hospital or GP visits for blood tests.
Patients collect small blood samples, through minimally invasive methods such as finger pricking, which are placed into the device. Instead of sending the blood sample away to a laboratory, sensors measure properties of the blood sample, which are analysed using AI algorithms to generate blood test results that can be shared digitally with doctors and patients on the spot.
While most blood tests provide only a snapshot of a person's health at a single moment in time, this technology helps identify small changes in an individual's health over time.
The technology could also free up resources for the NHS, with millions of blood tests are carried out in the UK every year, helping doctors diagnose disease, monitor treatments and assess overall health.
This achievement demonstrates how academia and industry can work together to deliver meaningful social impact. Academia advances fundamental research into health, disease, and the application of AI to cell and molecular biology. Industry translates these advances into scalable technologies. This technology could have a real-world impact on the many patients receiving treatments that would benefit from regular blood monitoring, such as chemotherapy or the use of medicines like clozapine, which require close monitoring of blood cell levels due to potential side effects or complications.
Dr Hector Zenil, founder and CEO of Algocyte, and Associate Professor in Healthcare Engineering at King's College London
Bringing together expertise in artificial intelligence, bioengineering, computational biology and clinical medicine, Algocyte is an example of how interdisciplinary research from King's is being translated into technologies that could address real healthcare challenges.
The device has achieved UKCA regulatory mark, meaning it complies with all relevant health, safety, and environmental protection standards, and is now progressing through further testing and evaluation in commercial deployment. Algocyte is continuing to gather scientific evidence and complete further regulatory steps as it works towards making the technology available more widely in different settings and for predictive purposes.
The PROXIMA™ Mobile Health Station was officially launched at an event at the Royal Society of Medicine in London on 29 June, following the device's achievement of UKCA marking. The event brought together researchers, clinicians, industry partners and healthcare leaders to mark the milestone and discuss the technology's future development, clinical validation and potential applications across healthcare.
