Researchers have developed a portable device that generates electricity using blood for emergency medical diagnosis. Aiming to combat the global rise in metabolic disorders, this lab-on-a-chip technology measures blood conductance to instantly diagnose diseases such as diabetes, especially in underserved areas.

Global increase in metabolic disorders

Diabetes, osteoporosis, and other metabolic disorders are gaining momentum worldwide, especially in developing countries.

These disorders are usually diagnosed with a blood test, but many people go undiagnosed and treated because existing healthcare infrastructure in remote areas cannot support these tests. Traditional methods also involve labor-intensive and invasive processes that tend to be time-consuming and make real-time monitoring impossible, especially in real-life settings and rural populations.

Revolution in diagnosis with the help of new technologies

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are proposing a new device that uses blood to generate electricity and measure its conductivity, opening the door to medical care everywhere.

“As the fields of nanotechnology and microfluidics continue to advance, opportunities to develop lab-on-a-chip devices that can address the limitations of modern healthcare are increasing,” said Amir Alavi, Pitt Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Swanson School of Engineering. “These technologies have the potential to transform healthcare by providing rapid and convenient diagnoses, ultimately improving patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.”

We have good blood now

Blood conductance is a valuable indicator to evaluate various health parameters and detect diseases. This conductivity is mainly determined by the concentration of basic electrolytes, especially sodium and chloride ions. These electrolytes are an integral part of many physiological processes and help doctors make accurate diagnoses.

D., medical director of UPMC Clinical Laboratories and vice chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. “Blood is basically a water-based medium that contains a variety of molecules that conduct or inhibit electrical current,” explained Alan Wells. UPMC and Thomas Gill III, professor of pathology, Pitt School of Medicine, Department of Pathology. “For example, glucose is a conductor of electricity. With these measurements, we can see how this affects the conductivity. In this way, we can make a diagnosis on the spot.”

Despite its applicability, information on human blood conductance is limited due to measurement challenges such as electrode polarization, limited access to human blood samples, and complexities related to maintaining blood temperature. Measuring electrical conductivity at frequencies below 100 Hz is particularly important for a deeper understanding of the electrical properties of blood and basic biological processes, but is even more challenging.

pocket laboratory

A research team proposes an innovative, portable millifluidic lab-on-a-chip nanogenerator that can measure blood at low frequencies. The device uses blood as a conductive material in its built-in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The proposed blood-based TENG system can convert mechanical energy into electricity via triboelectrification.

This process involves the exchange of electrons between materials in contact, resulting in charge transfer. In a TENG system, electron transfer and charge separation create a voltage difference that triggers an electrical current when materials encounter relative motion such as compression or shear. The team analyzes the voltage produced by the device under predefined loading conditions to determine the electrical conductivity of blood. The autonomous power supply mechanism allows miniaturization of the proposed blood-based nanogenerator. The team also used artificial intelligence models to directly predict the electrical conductivity of blood using the voltage patterns produced by the device.

To test its accuracy, the team compared their results to a traditional test that had proven successful. This opens up the possibility of testing where people live. Additionally, blood-powered nanogenerators can work anywhere in the body where blood is present, allowing for self-diagnosis through local biochemical blood analysis.