Sound-based diagnostic system could deliver bedside blood test results in an hour

Go to the doctor to provide a blood sample, and you're typically faced with a needle and syringe, and hours or even days of waiting to get results back from a lab. CU Boulder researchers hope to change that with a new handheld, sound-based diagnostic system able to deliver precise results in an hour with a mere finger prick of blood.

“We’ve developed a technology that is very user friendly, can be deployed in various settings and provides valuable diagnostic information in a short time frame,” said senior author Wyatt Shields, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at CU Boulder.

The findings come as scientists have been racing to democratize diagnostic testing, which can be hard for people in rural areas or developing countries to access, and in the case of blood tests, frightening for those averse to needles.

While existing rapid tests, known as lateral-flow assays, like COVID tests or pregnancy tests can provide a quick “yes” or “no” as to whether a specific biomarker or biomolecule in the blood or urine is present, they typically can’t say how much, and they aren’t sensitive enough to detect very small amounts.

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