Blood-clotting diagnostic strip

On the spot

Who

Microvisk Technologies, a spin-out company from the Science and Technologies Facilities Council, is developing a handheld system to monitor blood clotting in patients taking warfarin.

Technology

The company has developed what it claims is the world’s first medical diagnostic strip based on a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) originally created as a movement system for nano-robots. MEMS technology is used in devices such as the iPhone and Nintendo Wii, as well as in car engines. 

Microvisk is using the sensor technology in a tiny strip to monitor the blood clotting status of patients on warfarin, an anti-coagulant drug for people with heart conditions. Microvisk’s ‘SmartStrip’ uses sensors to work out the clotting speed of blood from a finger prick sample and the results are displayed on a handheld reader (pictured).

The coagulation status or clotting speed of the patient is measured by tiny multi-layered paddles on the surface of the strip and a memory chip ensures the device is calibrated to provide high levels of accuracy, says Microvisk. The device can be used by patients at home or in the doctor’s surgery.

Application

Trials of the prototype are continuing. Microvisk has  raised enough funds to finalise development and test the product to secure regulatory approval in Europe and the US in 2011. John Curtis, chief executive officer of Microvisk, said: “We are well-placed to capture a significant share of the doctor’s office and home tests market for warfarin patients, which we expect to grow with an increasingly older population. We intend to develop other medical diagnostic tests that will run on similar test strips.”