Exploring the Latest Advancements and Developments in Blood Screening Technologies

Key Takeaways:

• Introduction
• Rapid diagnostic test kits and their impact on blood screening
• Microsampling technology
• Glucose meters for blood testing of diabetic people

The most basic and preliminary medical diagnostic test done to ascertain any type of ailment is a blood test, also called blood screening. Typically, a blood sample is drawn from a vein using a hypodermic needle and is tested for various parameters. The results are compared with the normal standards of these parameters and a conclusion is reached regarding the medical condition of the patient, if any.

Blood screening is generally of different types ranging from complete blood count to C-reactive protein tests. Blood screening is usually done when a patient is showing certain symptoms of a disease, or he/she is at risk of contracting an ailment. Many-a-times, the doctor or the medical practitioner asks the patient to undergo regular blood tests if he/she is suffering from a known medical condition. In certain cases, such as before undergoing surgery, doctors conduct a blood test to check whether it is okay to go ahead with the operation. Pregnant women are asked to undergo blood tests periodically to ascertain the condition of the mother and child. In fact, a study has shown that around 70% of the medical treatment decisions taken by doctors are guided by blood screening reports. Thus, blood screening is one of the most common medical tests done at each step during diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

How are rapid diagnostic tests kits revolutionizing the blood screening industry?

One of the latest breakthroughs in the medical device sector is the development of rapid diagnostic test kits. A major problem which has traditionally plagued the blood testing industry is that the results of these blood tests take too much time to come out. To tackle this problem, rapid diagnostic test kits have been developed by various healthcare companies. These kits can test blood samples for different ailments such as malaria, dengue, HIV, etc., and provide the results of these tests within 20 minutes.

The importance of these kits was especially felt during the Covid-19 pandemic when lakhs of patients were being tested for infection on a daily basis. In response to this heightened demand in 2020, Roche, a leading pharmaceutical company, announced the launch of a SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antibody Test which played a huge role in the fight against Covid-19. Similarly, in June 2023, GenWorks Health, a major healthcare solutions provider announced the launch of In-Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) tests, which include rapid diagnostic test kits for malaria and dengue. Such product launches have helped in delivering quality medical services to the public.

Why is investing in microsampling technology becoming an attractive proposition for businesses?

Microsampling, as the name suggests, is a medical procedure wherein minute samples of blood are collected for analysis. Typically, 10-20 microliters of blood is collected during this test; a small prick is done to the finger and the absorbent tip of the needle captures the blood required for testing. Microsampling technology has become a quite popular blood screening technique in the past few years owing to some of its unique advantages. Firstly, the procedure is quite painless and quite stress-free, as the puncture done to the skin is extremely small.

Furthermore, microsampling kits are readily available in medical stores from where patients can directly buy and take their own blood samples from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, since the volume of blood taken out is too small, its refrigeration isn’t necessary and transportation of such blood samples to laboratories becomes easy. Finally, in many ailments and medical conditions, it is imperative to maintain a certain level of blood volume in the patient’s body. Conducting a normal blood test, wherein a large amount of blood is drawn from the patient’s body, hence becomes dangerous. Microsampling is the perfect solution for blood screening of such patients.

How are glucose meters helping in the growth of the blood screening industry?

One ailment which requires drawing of blood samples from the body regularly is diabetes. Frequent checking of blood sugar levels is very critical for correct treatment of this disease. However, one major issue with diabetic patients is that the capability of their body to heal injuries reduces drastically. Hence, drawing blood using traditional blood testing techniques isn’t advisable. To tackle this problem, glucometers have been developed which make a little prick to the skin and draw very little volume of blood. Thus, glucometers are similar to microsampling technology; the major difference is that while microsampling technology checks for various blood parameters, glucometer is specifically designed for checking the blood sugar level.

To conclude, blood screening or blood test is one of the most common and basic diagnostic tests done to analyze the symptoms of an ailment. Various technologies and techniques for blood testing have been developed over the years for easy and painless screening. Product launches by pharmaceutical and healthcare companies have further strengthened the scope of this industry.

To understand the various aspects of the blood screening industry and chalk out different strategies for your business, feel free to contact us. 

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