Easy and fast diagnosis through new blood test

Rapid diagnosis of diseases with new blood test

A novel blood test promises to accelerate the correct diagnosis of many conditions such as leukemia, malaria, bacterial or viral infections. This can lead to a faster and more accurate start of therapy.

One of the most important diagnostic tools in medicine

Blood tests are among the most important diagnostic tools in medicine. On the basis of a laboratory examination of the blood picture, conclusions can be drawn on existing diseases. In recent years, scientists have developed better and better tests. For example, a blood test newly designed by US researchers can detect many cancers. Another test, developed by Swiss scientists, even predicts the success of immunotherapy against cancer. And German researchers are now using a new blood test with colleagues from other European countries to help diagnose diseases such as malaria and leukemia faster.

German researchers are using a new blood test that can help diagnose diseases such as malaria and leukemia faster. (Image: StudioLaMagica / fotolia.com)

Information about the number of white blood cells is often not enough

When one is ill and goes to the doctor, it is often not clear what the cause is - causing fever, nausea, shortness of breath or other symptoms. It is important to find out quickly so that the right action can be taken.

One of the first steps is to get a blood sample and count how many of the different blood cells are present in it. This is called a complete blood count, and the information it provides has proven to be surprisingly useful.

For example, a large number of certain white blood cells may show that the body is fighting an infection.

But there may be several reasons why the number of white blood cells has increased, so that this information alone is often insufficient for a specific diagnosis.

Real-time Verformbarkeitszytometrie

There are many hundreds of possible tests that can complement the results of a complete blood count. These can, for example, identify bacteria or measure the concentration of certain molecules in the blood.

But which of these possible tests gives the important clue that reveals the cause of the disease?

This is difficult to predict. Although each test helps to narrow down the final diagnosis, they are becoming more costly and time consuming, so not all can be tried.

But quick action is often important when it comes to treating a disease.

Can we gain more crucial information from the first blood test by measuring other characteristics of the blood cells??

A research team from Dresden is now showing that this is possible with the help of a technique called "real-time deformability cytometry" (RT-DC) (real-time deformability cytometry)..

Correct diagnosis of many diseases

Prof. Dr. Jochen Guck, research group leader at the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the Technical University (TU) Dresden, as well as medical colleagues of the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden and partner institutes from Dresden, Cambridge (Great Britain), Glasgow (Great Britain) and Stockholm (Sweden) use the technology to examine thousands of cells in a drop of blood in just a few minutes for unusual appearance and deformability.

This novel blood test promises to accelerate the correct diagnosis of many conditions such as leukemia, malaria, bacterial or viral infections, which in turn can lead to a faster and more accurate start of therapy.

In the journal "eLife", the experts report on the method that forces blood cells in a small drop of blood to flow extremely fast through a narrow microfluidic channel, while being picked up by a fast camera.

A computer algorithm can then analyze the size and stiffness of the blood cells in real time.

The research team shows that this approach can detect characteristic changes that affect blood cells as a result of malaria, spherocytosis, bacterial and viral infections and leukemia.

In addition, many thousands of blood cells can be measured in a few minutes - fast enough to be suitable as a diagnostic test.

Tests for a variety of blood disorders

"The 36,000-fold increase in the measurement throughput of 100 cells / hour with previous techniques for measuring cell stiffness to now 1,000 cells / second with the technique used here, which we have achieved in recent years, was already remarkable," said Guck in one Message.

"But seeing now how RT-DC is actually being applied to real problems and improving the diagnosis of many diseases is really gratifying. This is the culmination of a research vision I've been following for almost 20 years. "

From these findings, specific diagnostic tests for a variety of blood diseases can now be developed.

The approach could also be used to test which drugs should be used to treat a particular disease and to monitor if treatment progresses as planned. (Ad)