BIOFOT
Development of a new photonic system for biochemical measurements
The general objective of this project is the design and development of a system that represents a technological leap in the measurement of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and coagulation, for its application in clinical diagnosis. The primary purpose of the system is to provide ESR and/or blood coagulation results in minimal time, with a minimal amount of sample, and using sustainable materials. The system will provide benefits that are significantly superior to the current state of the art, which will allow faster and earlier diagnosis of pathologies such as infections, tumors or autoimmune diseases, as well as monitoring the evolution of certain disorders.
In this project, two complementary optical systems are going to be developed with a different application point of view:
- The first optical system proposed in this project is based on diffraction and allows it to be incorporated into optical microscopes and thus acquire ESR and/or blood coagulation parameters. For this reason, other coagulometers or sedimentation rate measurement systems already available on the market are not considered direct competition for this project. The acquisition of this device will allow these measurements to be carried out in small laboratories, provided an optical microscope is available, since, to date, these measurements had to be carried out in laboratories associated with large hospitals.
- The second proposed optical system is based on light detection by sensors taking advantage of the total internal reflection. An LED is used as a light source, which is immersed or embedded in the plate of transparent material. This second system will provide a portable device with a disposable strip that is easy to transport due to its small dimensions.
The validation will be done with blood samples from different pigs (5-10ml) per individual and the results will be compared with standard measurement methods.
Consortium:Snelloptics, RAL, CEIT, CD6-Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Project CPP2021-009001 Proyectos de Colaboración público-privada convocatoria 2021 funding by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/ PRTR